Giant papillary conjunctivitis associated with rigid gas permeable contact lenses

Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) is an external ocular inflammatory disorder associated with contact lens wear. GPC seems to occur less frequently with hard than with soft contact lens wear. The management of soft contact lens related GPC has included refitting with hard lenses, specifically the newer rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses. We retrospectively studied 14 RGP lens wearers in whom GPC developed. Three patients had had GPC associated with soft contact lens wear and had been fitted with RGP lenses in an effort to restore contact lens tolerance. The interval of time between the initiation of RGP lens wear and the onset of GPC was inversely related to the lens oxygen transmissibility (DK value). Ophthalmologists should be aware of the association between GPC and rigid gas permeable lens wear.