Corneal effects of high plus hydrogel lenses

Five aphakic patients and five phakic patients were fitted with high plus Bausch & Lomb Soflenses. We evaluated corneal edema, staining, vertical striae, and corneal thickness before and after a 5-hr wearing period. The high plus lenses produced average corneal-thickness changes of 9.6% and 7.1% for the phakic and aphakic groups, respectively. Biomicroscope examination showed moderate amounts of vertical striae, epithelial staining, and corneal edema for both groups. The amounts of edema, staining, and striae were higher than when regular and thin minus lenses were worn. It is likely that the thickness of the high plus lenses reduces the oxygen supply to the corneal epithelium, causing relatively marked edema.