Related Experiment Videos
Contact lens fitting following unsuccessful refractive surgery
Scott C H Hau1, Daniel P Ehrlich
1Contact Lens Service, Department of Optometry, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
Summary
Contact lenses can successfully improve vision for patients experiencing poor visual acuity after refractive surgery. This study found that most patients achieved better vision and tolerated contact lens wear, demonstrating their value in managing post-surgical visual outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Contact Lens Science
Background:
- Refractive surgery aims to correct vision but can sometimes result in suboptimal visual acuity.
- Patients with poor outcomes may seek alternative solutions for visual rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the success of contact lens fitting in patients with poor visual acuity after refractive surgery.
- To assess visual improvement, lens tolerance, fitting characteristics, and wearing time.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of case notes from a contact lens clinic.
- Analysis of 42 eyes fitted with conventional rigid gas permeable (CRGP), soft, or reverse geometry rigid gas permeable (RVG) contact lenses.
- Evaluation of visual acuity (VA) with spectacles and contact lenses, lens tolerance, and wearing duration.
Main Results:
- Mean spectacle VA was 6/9, improving to 6/6 with contact lenses.
- Contact lens VA was better than spectacle VA in 59.5% of eyes.
- 78.6% of eyes were still wearing their contact lenses at the last visit.
Conclusions:
- Contact lens fitting is a valuable and successful method for managing poor visual acuity following refractive surgery.
- Rigid gas permeable and soft contact lenses offer significant visual improvement and good wearing tolerance for this patient group.