Comparison of outcomes in patients with and without soft contact lens wear following Boston keratoprosthesis type 1

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare the rate of long-term complications in Boston keratoprosthesis type 1 (KPro) patients with and without soft contact lens wear (SCL). MethodsA chart review was performed on patients who underwent KPro type 1 surgery from January 2008 to June 2018 performed by a single surgeon at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre. Ninety-nine KPro patients (114 eyes) were separated into group 1 (patients with SCL) and group 2 (patients without SCL) at 1 and 5 years. Survival at 1- and 5-year follow-ups is defined as the absence of complications: corneal melts, leaks, retroprosthetic membrane, infectious keratitis, sterile vitritis, endophthalmitis, and KPro extrusion. ResultsThe mean SCL retention duration was 3.17 years. Overall, the survival distribution of both groups was not significantly different. At 1 year, group 1 achieved a higher KPro survival rate (75.11%) than group 2 (61.39%; p = 0.248). At 5 years, group 1 had a lower survival rate (49.11%) than group 2 (65.22%; p = 0.127). Although not statistically significant, the percentage of individual complications was higher in group 2 at 1 year (p = 0.3040) and lower in group 2 at 5 years (p = 0.6089) compared with group 1. ConclusionThe mean SCL retention duration in our study was longer than previously reported. Long-term SCL does not significantly decrease the rate of complications. A prospective study is warranted to further examine the outcomes of long-term SCL wear.