Relationship between corneal tissue and shape in short-term soft contact lens wear

To investigate which morphometric and ocular surface tissue parameters are affected by short-term soft contact lens (CL) wear and to assess whether they carry related or independent information.

Twenty-two healthy participants wore silicone hydrogel (SiHy; MyDay, CooperVision) soft CLs for 8 h in their left eye. Corneal tomography and corneoscleral topography were captured before and immediately after CL wear. Central corneal thickness (CCT), corneoscleral parameters (limbus position and corneoscleral junction [CSJ] angle) and corneal tissue parameters (corneal transparency and homogeneity) were evaluated.

Corneoscleral parameters (limbus position and CSJ angle) were independent of corneal tissue parameters (transparency and homogeneity) at baseline and after CL wear. CCT was independent of all the other parameters examined at baseline, but baseline values of corneal tissue parameters were moderately correlated with CCT change (transparency: r = -0.51; p = 0.007), homogeneity: r = -0.46; p = 0.02).

A complete characterisation of ocular surface changes following CL wear should consider corneoscleral topography and corneal densitometry simultaneously, since they carry complementary information.