Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
08:28
Development of an In Vitro Ocular Platform to Test Contact Lenses
Published on: April 6, 2016
Short-term thermal changes before, during and after soft contact lens wear: an exploratory study
Miriam Rouco1, Cristina Rodriguez-Perez1, Noelia Nores-Palmas2
1Facultade de Óptica e Optometría, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida s/n, 15701, Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña), Spain.
Summary
Soft contact lens wear causes significant short-term ocular surface temperature changes, regardless of material. Portable infrared thermography shows promise for tracking these thermal shifts during contact lens use.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Infrared thermography offers non-invasive, real-time ocular surface temperature assessment.
- Its application in soft contact lens (CL) research is promising but short-term thermal changes remain understudied.
- This study focused on short-term thermal responses during daily disposable soft CL wear, material influence, and thermographic camera repeatability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate short-term thermal responses associated with daily disposable soft CL wear.
- To evaluate the influence of CL material on ocular surface temperature.
- To assess the repeatability of a portable thermographic camera for CL research.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 29 healthy adults wearing two types of daily disposable soft CLs (stenfilcon A and omafilcon B).
- Ocular surface temperature recorded using a portable thermographic camera at baseline, 1-min, 10-min, and post-CL removal.
- Repeat measurements one week later; statistical analyses included ICC and Bland-Altman for repeatability.
Main Results:
- Significant temperature differences observed between baseline and post-CL removal in both sessions (p < 0.005).
- Significant thermal changes occurred between 1-min and 10-min post-insertion (p < 0.05).
- No significant material-dependent differences were found (p ≥ 0.456); baseline temperature repeatability was poor (ICC=0.043), but temperature change repeatability improved (ICC=0.438).
Conclusions:
- Soft CL insertion induces significant short-term thermal changes, irrespective of material.
- Portable infrared thermography shows improved agreement for tracking temperature changes (baseline to post-removal).
- This camera may be a valuable tool for evaluating thermal dynamics during CL wear.
