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Extended wear contact lenses in pediatric aphakia
Insights
Silicone contact lenses offer a safe and effective extended wear option for pediatric aphakia, outperforming hydrogel lenses in handling and fitting. These silicone lenses minimize contamination and show no permanent adverse effects on the cornea.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biomaterials Science
Background:
- Pediatric aphakia requires optical correction, often with contact lenses.
- Extended wear contact lenses aim to provide continuous visual correction.
- Hydrogel lenses have been used, but present handling and fitting challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 100% silicone polymer contact lenses for extended wear in pediatric aphakia.
- To compare the performance of silicone lenses with traditional hydrogel extended wear lenses.
Main Methods:
- Clinical evaluation of pediatric patients with aphakia fitted with 100% silicone polymer extended wear contact lenses.
- Comparison of handling, fitting procedure, lens-cornea relationship assessment, and loss rates with hydrogel lenses.
- Assessment of corneal safety and potential adverse effects.
Main Results:
- Silicone lenses demonstrated successful extended wear in pediatric aphakia.
- Advantages included easier handling, less traumatic fitting, and lower loss rates compared to hydrogel lenses.
- Lower water content minimized bacterial and preservative contamination.
- No permanent adverse effects on the cornea were observed.
Conclusions:
- 100% silicone polymer contact lenses are a safe and effective option for extended wear in pediatric aphakia.
- Silicone lenses offer significant advantages over hydrogel lenses for this patient population.
- While higher plus powers would be beneficial, current availability is adequate for most cases.
Abstract:
A 100% silicone polymer contact lens can be used successfully for extended wear in pediatric aphakia. Compared to a hydrogel extended wear contact lens, the silicone lens has several advantages. These include easier handling, a less traumatic fitting procedure for the child, fluorescein use for evaluation of the lens-cornea relationship and a lower loss rate. Bacterial and preservative contamination are minimized due to the lower water content. The silicone lens appears to be safe, having no permanent adverse effects on the cornea. It would be more advantageous if the lens could be obtained in higher plus powers; however, the available power (up to +32.00D) is appropriate in almost all cases.