Are Contact Lens Discomfort or Soft Contact Lens Material Properties Associated with Alterations in the Corneal Sub-Basal Nerve Plexus?

Abstract

ABSTRACTPurpose: To study whether contact lens (CL) discomfort and some properties of soft CL materials are associated with alterations in the nerve fibers morphology and density of dendritic cells of the corneal sub-basal nerve plexus.Materials and Methods: Forty soft CL wearers and 20 non-CL wearers were included. The Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-short form was administered to divide CL wearers based on their symptoms (20 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic CL wearers were included). The CL material properties considered were the CL material type (16 hydrogel and 24 silicone hydrogel CL wearers were included), water content, oxygen transmissibility, and modulus of elasticity. Confocal microscopy was performed, and the number and density of corneal nerves, density of nerve branches, grade of nerve tortuosity, and density of dendritic cells were analyzed. The effects of CL discomfort and CL material properties on the confocal microscopy parameters were analyzed.Results: No significant differences were found among symptomatic and asymptomatic CL wearers and non-CL wearers in any of the confocal microscopy parameters evaluated. The density of dendritic cells was higher in the hydrogel CL wearers compared to the silicone hydrogel CL wearers and non-CL wearers (p = 0.002). The density of dendritic cells tended to be higher as the oxygen transmissibility decreased (β = −0.40, p = 0.07).Conclusions: CL discomfort appears not to be associated with alterations in the corneal sub-basal nerve plexus. Hydrogel CL wear might be involved in the recruitment of dendritic cells into the cornea, being a possible origin its lower oxygen permeability compared to silicone hydrogel materials. Future studies are required to confirm these results.