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Intolerant contact lens wearers exhibit ocular surface impairment despite 3 months wear discontinuation

  • Cornea
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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate ocular surface (OS) parameters recovery in intolerant contact lens (CL) wearers after a period of discontinuation.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of data from 87 intolerant CL wearers who had discontinued their use for an average period of 12 weeks because of associated discomfort and failure to successfully refit. Data were collected from clinical charts. Data from 50 matched healthy volunteers served as controls. Clinical tests included subjective discomfort symptoms questionnaire (Ocular Surface Disease Index, OSDI), Schirmer test, break-up time (BUT), corneal esthesiometry and corneo-conjunctival staining. Laboratory tests included scraping and imprint cytology. Tear protein analysis included dosage of total tear protein (TP), lysozyme-C (LYS-C), lactoferrin (LACTO), zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG-2), IgA heavy chain bands (Ig-A), and serum albumin (ALB). Data were correlated to wear parameters.

Results

All values were significantly worse in intolerant CL wearers group (p always <0.001). In particular, lower values compared to controls were found for BUT, corneal esthesiometry, goblet cell density, LYS-C, LACTO, ZAG-2, and TP. On the contrary, higher values compared to controls were found for OSDI, staining, imprint cytology, scraping cytology, ALB, IgA-heavy chain. The IgA/LYS-C ratio calculated as an index of the increased activity of the IgA-producing cell was found significantly higher in the intolerant group and in correlation with discomfort symptoms.

Conclusions

Ocular surface parameters were altered in intolerant CL wearers, even after a prolonged discontinuation period. Our data suggest that OS recovery necessary to successfully refit lenses may need a discontinuation time longer than 3 months.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ophthalmology Unit, DIMES University of Bologna and S. Orsola-Malpighi Teaching Hospital, Pad. 1 Palagi, Via Palagi, 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Giuseppe Giannaccare, Michela Fresina & Piera Versura

  2. Institute of Molecular Genetics, CNR-National Research Council of Italy, Bologna, Italy

    William Blalock

  3. Eye Clinic, DiNOGMI, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 5, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    Aldo Vagge

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Giannaccare
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  2. William Blalock
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  3. Michela Fresina
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  4. Aldo Vagge
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  5. Piera Versura
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Piera Versura.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Giannaccare, G., Blalock, W., Fresina, M. et al. Intolerant contact lens wearers exhibit ocular surface impairment despite 3 months wear discontinuation. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 254, 1825–1831 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-016-3400-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-016-3400-4

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