The temporal correlation of elevated tear IgE levels with the onset of symptoms in patients wearing daily-wear and extended-wear contact lenses

Abstract

Fourteen patients wearing a disposable contact lens as a daily-wear lens in one eye and as an extended-wear lens in the other eye had tear immunoglobulin (Ig)E levels measured at a baseline visit and at 13 follow-up visits over a 31-day period. Multivariate regression analyses were performed for tear IgE levels against numerous independent variables, including a history of allergies and the level and progression of various symptoms. Although there was a significantly higher level of symptoms in the extended-wear vs. the daily-wear eyes ( p = 0.05), no significant difference in tear IgE levels between the extended-wear and daily-wear eyes was observed. However, tear IgE levels were consistently higher in allergic patients vs. nonallergic patients ( p = 0.02), regardless of the wearing type. A simultaneous bilateral elevation in the tear IgE levels had a 100% correlation with patients reporting a positive history of environmental allergies. Periodic lag analysis revealed that increased symptoms in the extended-wear eyes correlated ( p = 0.003) with elevated tear IgE levels three periods (6.5 days) prior. This pilot study suggests a potential predictive value for tear IgE with regard to contact lens symptomatology. It also revealed a strong correlation between a history of allergies and elevated tear IgE in all types of contact lens wearers.