Prosthetic soft contact lenses in Japan

To investigate the use of the prosthetic iris-tinted soft contact lens, the SEED Opaque, during the past 5 years.

The records of 42 outpatients (48 eyes) for whom the prosthetic soft contact lens was prescribed in the contact lens clinic of Juntendo University Hospital from July 2001 to June 2005 were investigated. An investigation was conducted in regard to the tint patterns of the prosthetic soft contact lens and the presence or absence of a transparent part in the middle, as a brown iris with a clear pupil or a solid pupil. The diagnosis, purpose of prescription, age when that lens was prescribed, complications, and changes in corrected visual acuities were analyzed retrospectively from the medical records.

The mean age at the first prescription, total number of years of wearing prosthetic contact lenses, total number of prescriptions, and mean period to use each SEED Opaque lens were compared. The mean age at the first prescription of solid-pupil lens wearers was significantly younger than that for clear-pupil lens wearers (P<0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). The solid-pupil type had been prescribed for 30 eyes, all for cosmetic purposes. The clear-pupil type had been prescribed for five eyes for cosmetic purposes and for 13 eyes for improvement of visual function. Complications were shown in 40% of wearers. Contact lens-induced papillary conjunctivitis was highest, followed by punctate superficial keratopathy, superficial punctate keratitis, and corneal erosion. In comparison of corrected visual acuities before and after wearing the clear-pupil cosmetic soft contact lens, significant improvement was observed (P<0.05, paired t test).

Although the SEED Opaque lens is a conventional soft contact lens, it is tailor-made for each patient. So it is possible to adjust the color and size of the cosmetic part and the pupil diameter. Further, corrected visual acuities could improve with the clear-pupil type for patients who had prescribed for improvement of visual function.