Ocular Surface Homeostasis After Scleral Lens Usage.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Science
• Contact Lens Research

Background:

• The ocular surface environment is influenced by tear film composition.
• Cytokines play a role in ocular inflammation and health.
• Scleral contact lenses (SLs) are used to manage various ocular surface conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of short-term, well-fitted mini-scleral contact lens (mini-SL) wear on tear film cytokine expression in healthy individuals.
• To assess changes in cytokine concentration relative to total protein in the tear film.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 23 healthy participants.
• Mini-SLs (16.5 mm diameter) were worn for 5 hours in one randomly selected eye per participant.
• Tear fluid was collected at baseline, after 5 hours of wear, and 3 hours post-removal.
• Multiplex bead assay was used to quantify 40 inflammatory cytokines.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant changes were observed in the tear film cytokine-to-protein ratio after 5 hours of mini-SL wear.
• The concentration of measured cytokines remained relatively stable in the tear film.

Conclusions:

• Despite potentially altering tear film turnover, 5-hour wear of well-fitted mini-SLs did not significantly impact the tear cytokine-to-protein ratio in healthy eyes.
• These findings suggest that mini-scleral lenses exhibit minimal effects on corneal cytokine expression in the short term.