Use Of Contact Lenses Research Articles

Evaluation of Corneal Alterations After Short-Term Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Use by Confocal Microscopy.

To evaluate the corneal subbasal nerve morphology, corneal sensitivity, and anterior segment alterations in short-term silicone hydrogel contact lens (SiHCL) users by confocal microscopy. The study included 25 right eyes of 25 male volunteers aged 25-30 years who had never used SiHCLs before. ocular surface disease index (OSDI), tear break-up time, Schirmer test, tear meniscus area, strip meniscometry tube, corneal sensitivity, and corneal subbasal nerve morphology were evaluated before and after 1 month of CL use. OSDI was 10.6±1.1 before CL use and 17.2±1.2 after 1 month of CL use (p<0.01). Schirmer test distance was 16.3±2.3 mm before and 14.3±1.9 mm after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). Tear film break-up time was 7.1±0.4 s before and 6.2±0.3 s after CL use (p>0.05). The tear meniscus area was 0.026±0.002 mm2 before and 0.024±0.001 mm2 after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). Strip meniscometry tube results were 5.4±0.9 mm before and 4.9±0.8 mm after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). Corneal sensitivity values were 3.2±0.4 mm before and 2.95±0.3 mm after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). Dendritic cell density evaluated by confocal microscopy was 14.84±3.1 cells/mm2 before and 32.57±4.2 cells/mm2 after 1 month of CL use (p<0.01). Subbasal nerve tortuosity was 0.92±0.2 before and 1.03±0.2 after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). Subbasal nerve density was measured as 4726±310 pixels/frame before and 4570±272 pixels/frame after 1 month of CL use (p>0.05). After a month of SiHCL use, no significant changes were observed in tear secretion, corneal sensitivity, tear meniscus volume, subbasal corneal nerve density, reflectivity, or tortuosity, while a significant increase was found in OSDI and dendritic cell density.

Mycotic keratitis – Experience in Europe

AbstractMycotic keratitis is a rare but severe ophthalmological illness, which has to be taken very seriously with a potentially sight‐threatening outcome. Over the last two decades, an increase of cases with mycotic keratitis has been noticed, which has possibly caused an increased use of soft contact lenses. Therapy is often lengthy and difficult. In a lot of cases, surgical therapy, i.e. corneal transplantation is indicated. For this reason, it is essential to discuss during the clarification process the necessity of a keratoplasty during the course of treatment. In this talk, we would like to give an overview on the typical clinical signs, symptoms, diagnostics and therapy options as well as confocal microscopy for diagnosis of mycotic keratitis.

Effects of contact lens wearing on corneal sensitivity and reflex functions

AbstractPurpose: To study the effects of contact lens (CL) use on corneal sensory nerve activity, exploring corneal sensitivity and ocular functions regulated by sensory input in asymptomatic (CL‐A) and symptomatic (CL‐S) CL wearers.Methods: CL wearers (23.8 ± 1.0 years; n = 31) participating in the study were classified as CL‐S when OSDI ≥13. Sex and age eye glasses (EG) users (24.5 ± 0.8 years, n = 29) participated as control group. Corneal mechanical, chemical and cold sensitivity was explored using a gas esthesiometer and 4°C‐saline drops; intensity, irritation and cold components of the evoked sensation were measured with Visual Analogue Scales (VASs). Tear volume (with phenol red threads), tear stability (TBUT), basal blinking frequency (BF), ocular surface temperature (OST; by IR thermography) were also assessed.Results: CL wearers scored higher irritation VAS values than EG wearers for mechanical (2.5 ± 0.5 vs. 1.4 ± 0.4 for 160 ml/min air flow, CL vs EG, p = 0.09) and chemical stimuli (1.8 ± 0.5 vs. 0.7 ± 0.3 for 40% CO2, p &lt; 0.05), and lower intensity values for cold stimulation (2.2 ± 0.4 vs. 4.5 ± 0.7, p &lt; 0.05); tear volume was similar (27.0 ± 2.2 vs. 27.2 ± 1.6 mm), TBUT lower (8.3 ± 0.5 vs. 11.7 ± 0.5 s, p &lt; 0.001), BF was higher (25.1 ± 2.4 vs. 14.3 ± 1.9 blinks/min, p &lt; 0.001), and OST was lower (34.4 ± 0.2 vs. 35.2 ± 0.2°C, p &lt; 0.01). VAS values for cold stimulation was slightly lower in CL‐S than in CL‐A (2.0 ± 0.4 vs. 4.0 ± 0.8, p = 0.06), while OST was higher (35.0 ± 0.2 vs. 33.9 ± 0.3°C, p &lt; 0.01).Conclusions: CL wearing affects corneal sensory nerve functions, changing corneal sensitivity, blinking rate, tearing stability, and OST. The changes found in corneal sensitivity fully agree with those described in neural activity of corneal sensory nerves after injury or inflammation using animal models: sensitization of corneal nociceptors and inhibition of cold thermoreceptors. The differences between CL‐S and CL‐A wearers could be due to the presence of subclinical ocular surface inflammation in symptomatic subjects.

Dual-Mode Gold Nanoparticle-Based Method for Early Detection of Acanthamoeba

Acanthamoeba keratitis is an aggressive and rapidly progressing ocular pathology whose main risk factor is the use of contact lenses. An early and differential diagnosis is considered the main factor to prevent the progression and improve the prognosis of the pathology. However, current diagnosis techniques require time, complex and costly materials making an early diagnosis challenging. Thus, there is a need for fast, accessible, and accurate methods for Acanthamoeba detection by practitioners for timely and suitable treatment and even for contact lens user as preventive diagnosis. Here, we developed a dual-mode colorimetric-based method for fast, visual, and accurate detection of Acanthamoeba using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). For this strategy, AuNPs were functionalized with thiolated probes and the presence of target Acanthamoeba genomic sequences, produce a colorimetric change from red to purple. This approach allows the detection of 0.02 and 0.009 μM of the unamplified Acanthamoeba genome by the naked eye in less than 20 min and by color analysis using a smartphone. Additionally, real samples were successfully analyzed showing the potential of the technology considering the lack of point-of-care tools that are mostly needed.

Are Patients Sufficiently Informed about Contact Lens Wear and Care?

Frequent and effective patient-practitioner communication is essential to ensure that instructions regarding contact lens use, care, and maintenance are understood and followed. Given the relevance of good patient compliance, the responsibility of practitioners to provide adequate information may not be neglected. This study aimed to determine the content and type of information licensed optometrists in Spain provide their patients during the first contact lens fitting and at follow-up visits. A self-reported ad hoc survey was distributed to licensed optometrists in Spain to investigate, among other factors, whether practitioners provided information on several aspects of contact lens use and maintenance, how was this information provided, and whether in-office practical demonstrations were conducted at all contact lens appointments. Respondents of 321 surveys had a median of 20 years of contact lens fitting experience and worked on independent practices (67.6%), and national (29.0%) and regional chains (3.4%). Type of practice influenced continuous education habits ( P = .03). Overall, 28.0% of participants did not always instruct patients on the need to rub contact lenses, 34.3% did not always address contact lens replacement, and 6.8% did not always explain storage case hygiene and replacement. At the follow-up visit, only 8.4% of respondents asked their patients to demonstrate their care routines. Information was mostly oral (48.6%) or oral and written (43.0%). Contact lens-related complications were reported more frequently by participants with less continuous education training ( P = .01), by those not always recommending rubbing ( P = .002), and by those not providing written information about storage case hygiene and replacement ( P = .002). Patient-practitioner communication was good, albeit several areas were identified where information was insufficient or not provided in a correct and timely format. Precise, written information on rubbing and storage case hygiene and replacement may improve compliance and assist in avoiding complications and dropout.

Microbial Adherence to Contact Lenses and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a Model Organism for Microbial Keratitis.

Microbial keratitis (MK), the infection of the cornea, is a devastating disease and the fifth leading cause of blindness and visual impairment around the world. The overwhelming majority of MK cases are linked to contact lens wear combined with factors which promote infection such as corneal abrasion, an immunocompromised state, improper contact lens use, or failing to routinely disinfect lenses after wear. Contact lens-related MK involves the adherence of microorganisms to the contact lens. Therefore, this review discusses the information currently available regarding the disease pathophysiology, the common types of microorganisms causing MK, physical and organic mechanisms of adhesion, material properties which are involved in adhesion, and current antimicrobial strategies. This review also concludes that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a model organism for the investigation of contact lens microbial adherence due to its prevalence in MK cases, its extremely robust adhesion, antimicrobial-resistant properties, and the severity of the disease it causes.

Contact Lens-induced Acute Red Eye

It is important to understand the acute and chronic complications of prolonged contact lens use; treatment of acute problems is more effective than treatment of chronic reactions because it is difficult to restore corneal tissue. Contact lens-induced acute red eye (CLARE) is an acute inflammatory reaction of the cornea and conjunctiva triggered by contact lenses. CLARE recurrence is common; differential diagnosis from serious eye diseases that can compromise visual acuity is important. CLARE must be appropriately treated and patients must be educated in terms of safe contact lens wearing and storage.

Knowledge and Practice Regarding Contact Lens Wear and Care Among Undergraduate Students in Universiti Sains Malaysia

Contact lenses are thin optical correction lenses worn on the eye and rest on the cornea’s surface. The number of individuals who wear contact lenses is growing every day, but many people are unaware of the benefits and drawbacks of wearing them. Contact lens wear and care that is not adhered to can lead to severe ocular complications and permanent vision loss [1]. Overall rates of non-compliance with good contact lens wear have been cited in the literature as ranging from 40-91% in the past [2]. Knowledge and practice regarding contact lens wear and care is very important to control its progression and its complication effectively.&#x0D; &#x0D; The objective of this cross-sectional study is to determine the knowledge and practice regarding contact lens wear and care and factor associated with the practice among undergraduate students in Universiti Sains Malaysia who have experienced wear contact lens. The questionnaire adopted from Abd Aziz et al [3] was distributed using the online method of Google form between January to May 2022. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26. Descriptive statistics were performed to determine the knowledge and practice. General linear regression modelling was used to analyze factors associated with practice.&#x0D; &#x0D; A total of 170 undergraduate students from various faculties on 3 campuses of USM aged 20-27 years old were involved in this study. Regularity of contact lens use showed most respondents used contact lens as occasionally (38.8%) and for 4-6 days per weeks (25.3%). Half of respondent mentioned their purpose of contact lens use as a refractive error (51.2%) and there is similar percentage in term of duration of contact lens use for less than 1 year and 5 years (30% and 30.6% respectively). Mean score of knowledge was 21.71 ± 2.46 with 51.8% of the respondents in this study have poor knowledge of contact lens wear and care. Mean score of practice was 22.49 ± 2.76 with majority of the respondent (74.1%) have poor practice regarding contact lens wear and care. In the final model of general linear regression, factors associated with the practice of contact lens wear and care were gender, course of study, purpose of using contact lens, duration of contact lens use and knowledge of contact lens wear and care (p &lt; 0.05).This study indicate there is a need for health education and awareness program to contact lens wearers especially among young people regarding contact lens usage, care, and its related complications

Сравнительная оценка эффективности рефракционной лазерной коррекции и контактной коррекции в лечении нарушений аккомодации у детей с гиперметропической анизометропией и амблиопией

Purpose. А comparative study of accommodation disorders during the treatment of amblyopia in children with hyperopic anisometropia and amblyopia after femtolaser-assisted laser intrastromal keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) and children with contact correction. Material and methods. All of the patients were divided into two groups: I group consisted of 20 children who had FS-LASIK, performed according to indications in the amblyopic eye and II group consisted of 12 children who had contact correction. Results. After one year, the objective accommodative response (OAR) of the amblyopic eye was –1.8 ± 0.2 diopters in the 1st group and –1.42 ± 0.55 diopters in the 2nd group (рm-u = 0.04). At the end of the period, the first and second groups' objective reserves of relative accommodation (ORRA) were –1.5 ± 0.3 and –1.4 ± 0.4, respectively. The accommodogram coefficients also increased. The coefficient of accommodative response (CAO) in the first group was 0,1 ± 0,06 conv. units and microfluctuations coefficient (CMF) was 63,5 ± 4,1µF/min. CAO in the second group was within 0,0 ± 0,1 conv. units (рm-u = 0.12), CMF was 60.6 ± 4.0µF/min (рm-u = 0.05). Conclusion. The use of a soft contact lens in children provides a complete correction and improves amblyopic eye accommodation, resulting in an increase in OAR, ORRA and CMF. At the same time, the increase in OAR, CMF and CAO in children after femtosecond laser intrastromal keratomileusis in situ is more effective (p &lt; 0.05). The improvement of these indicators is associated with the provision of permanent full correction of the amblyopic eye. Keywords: anisometropia, hypermetropia, FS-LASIK, contact correction

Hydrogel-Based Smart Contact Lens for Highly Sensitive Wireless Intraocular Pressure Monitoring.

Real-time intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring plays a crucial role in glaucoma diagnosis and treatment. The wireless smart contact lens based on a flexible inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) sensor is chip-free and battery-free, demonstrating excellent application potential for physiological signal monitoring. To promote the use of LCR contact lenses for clinical IOP monitoring, reliable, comfortable contact lens materials should be used and excellent sensitivity needs to be realized. Here, we propose a method for producing hydrogel-based smart contact lenses for wireless IOP monitoring that uses the conformal stacking technique, solving the problems of swelling of the hydrogel and spherical integration of the pyramid-microstructured dielectric elastomer. The IOP of the in vitro porcine eye is successfully monitored owing to the high sensitivity of the spherical pyramid-microstructured capacitive pressure sensor and the hydrogel substrate. In addition, a glasses-integrated impedance-matching tunable reader for remote signal measurement is realized by enhancing the signal amplitude and increasing the reading distance, improving the portability of the signal measurement equipment. With the above improved designs, the wireless contact lens system has application potential for clinical IOP monitoring and shows substantial promise for next-generation daily ocular health management.

A Review of Contact Lens-Related Risk Factors and Complications.

The purpose of this article is to develop a modern strategy for handling difficulties related to contact lenses and their care. A growing number of people throughout the world are currently concerned by eye-related undesirable activities in allergy sufferers and those wearing contact lenses. While many wearers who experience ocular discomfort exhibit dryness as a symptom, many other contact lens-related pain symptoms also include irritation and fatigue, and managing coexisting diseases must be done in accordance with aspects of wearing contact lenses, all of which undoubtedly increase discomfort. It is typical for contact lens storage containers to have persistent microbial contamination, which has been linked to microbial keratitis (MK) and clear corneal invasion. Contact lens-associated MK is an interesting, potentially sight-threatening complexity arising from wearing soft contact lenses.Estimates show that for every 10,000 persons who wear contact lenses each year, there are 2 to 5 occurrences of MK.Investigating separate determinants for contact lens-associated MK and evaluating their impact on infection load is one of the challenges in their administration. It is hoped that this will offer a useful outline of the complicated issues of contact lens wear that are both infectious and non-infectious. Recent epidemiological studies detailing the risk factors associated with contact lens use, and the effect of pathogen and individual immune profiles on the severity of diseases have enlightened how we might interpret the prophylaxis and prevention of contact lens-related corneal infection. The most dreaded side effect of contact lens use, infectious keratitis linked with contact lenses, will be reviewed, along with the most recent advancements in its diagnosis and treatment.

Evaluation of the Effect of Dermatochalasis and Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Surgery on Corneal Epithelial Thickness Alterations.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different grades of dermatochalasis (DC) and upper eyelid blepharoplasty (UEB) surgery on corneal epithelial thickness (CET), objectively using anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) measurements. 90 eyes of patients with DC were divided into three groups according to the severity of the DC. Forty-one eyes of age and sex-matched patients without DC were randomly selected as the control group. The study did not include patients with more than 2 D of spherical refractive error and more than 1.5 D of astigmatism, a history of previous eyelid surgery, ocular surface disease, contact lens use, and ophthalmic eye drop use. CET measurements of all the patients were performed with an AS-OCT (RTVue-XR, Optovue Inc., USA). There were statistically significant differences in the CET of the superior, superonasal, superotemporal, inferotemporal, and temporal sectors between the DC and control groups (p = 0.001, p = 0.02, p = 0.03, p = 0.02, p = 0.04, respectively). While there were no differences in CET among the sectors of the control group, there was a difference in CET among some sectors of the DC group. When the DC group was subdivided by severity, there was no difference between subgroups for CET across all sectors both preoperatively and postoperatively. In the measurements made 6months after UEB surgery, the CET in all sectors increased statistically significantly compared to those measured in the preoperative period. This study revealed that DC reshaped the corneal epithelium and UEB surgery restored this remodeling 6months after surgery. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Clinical Use of Mini-Scleral Contact Lens in Ocular Surface Diseases

A scleral contact lens lies on the sclera, not the cornea, which differs from a rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens, and has shown successful clinical outcomes in patients unable to tolerate glasses or RGP contact lenses because of a severely deformed cornea. In addition, a scleral lens forms a tear film between the cornea and contact lens that stabilizes the ocular surface and could be a useful therapeutic option. The mini-scleral contact lens is a useful therapeutic option for visual improvement and symptom control in patients with corneal abnormalities such as keratoconus, corneal opacity, ocular surface disease, and irregular corneal astigmatism.

Investigating the role of inflammation in keratoconus: A retrospective analysis of 551 eyes.

Keratoconus (KCN), classically defined as a noninflammatory corneal ectasia, was recently associated with chronic inflammation. This study aimed to further evaluate the association between inflammation and KCN severity by assessing patient tear films. Retrospective chart review of consecutive patients (July 2016-February 2020) referred to a tertiary KCN centre. Using tomography Kmax values, the worst-eyes of patients with a diagnosis of KCN and tear film test results were included. Eyes were stratified as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) positive or negative and analyzed using independent t and Pearson chi-squared tests. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. 551 (51.40%) unilateral eyes were included. Mean age was 30.1 years and 70.1% were male. 55.5% of the eyes were MMP9 positive. Mean corrected distance visual acuity was 20/30<συπ>-3</sup> Snellen and Kmax was 60.1 Diopters. MMP9 positive eyes had a higher Kmax (p = 0.048), and were more likely from patients who were male (p < 0.001), had a paediatric history of asthma (p = 0.042), and used glasses (p = 0.041). MMP9 negative eyes more likely corresponded to soft contact lens users (p = 0.012). No other significant differences were found in risk factors, topography, tomography, and tear film osmolarity. MMP9 positive keratoconic eyes had significantly higher Kmax readings which may correlate with increased disease severity, supporting an association between keratoconus and inflammation. Further research is warranted to evaluate the role of targeted therapy and contact lens use on MMP9 levels in keratoconic eyes and whether disease progression is affected.

Fungal Keratitis: Clinical Features, Risk Factors, Treatment, and Outcomes.

Fungal keratitis (FK) can be challenging to diagnose and treat. In this retrospective case series, FK cases presenting at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, USA, from 2015 to 2021 were reviewed for ocular risk factors, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes. Twenty-eight cases of FK were included. The median presenting age was 58.5 (18.5) years, and the median symptom duration prior to presentation was 10 (35.8) days. Predisposing ocular risk factors included contact lens use (67.9%), recent ocular trauma/abrasion (42.9%), and history of ocular surgery (42.9%). The median presenting visual acuity (VA) was 1.35 (1.72) LogMAR. About half presented with a central ulcer (42.9%), large infiltrate (6.7 (6.3) mm2), corneal thinning (50.0%), and hypopyon (32.1%). The majority of isolated fungal species were filamentous (75.0%). Most common antifungal medications included topical voriconazole (71.4%) and natamycin (53.6%) drops and oral voriconazole (64.3%). Surgical management was necessary in 32.1% of cases and enucleation in one case. Defect resolution occurred in 42.5 (47.0) days, and median final VA was 0.5 (1.84) LogMAR. Features associated with poor final visual outcomes included poor initial VA (p < 0.001) and larger defect size (p = 0.002). In conclusion, unlike prior studies in the northeast region of the USA, FK was commonly caused by filamentous fungi, and antifungal management most often consisted of topical and oral voriconazole.

Application of Soft Directional Prismatic Contact Lenses to Correct Diplopia.

To verify whether diplopia due to a small-angle strabismus within 8 prism diopters (PD) could be corrected by applying soft directional prismatic contact lenses, obtaining higher comfort and quality of vision for the patients. A prospective study was undertaken by enrolling consecutive patients affected by vertical and/or horizontal diplopia and small-angle strabismus within 8 PD. The patients were tested for best corrected visual acuity, refraction, cover test for near and for distance, ocular motility test, prismatic fit test, corneal topography, tear film evaluation, binocular vision test, head position evaluation, retinography, and optical coherence tomography of the posterior and anterior segment. Custom soft contact lenses, made in Benz G5X material, were designed and developed for this study. All patients were first corrected with prismatic glasses according to their degree of strabismus and ametropia. Then they were asked to wear custom-made directional prismatic contact lenses with appropriate simultaneous correction of strabismus and ametropia. The patients were then asked to answer whether the comfort and quality of vision was higher with directional prismatic contact lenses or prismatic glasses. Eight patients were enrolled with different causes of diplopia caused by a strabismus of 8 PD or less. The soft directional prismatic contact lenses could resolve diplopia in 100% of patients. All patients reported greater comfort and quality of vision with directional prismatic contact lenses. The study demonstrated that diplopia resulting from an angle of strabismus within 8 PD can be corrected through the use of soft directional prismatic contact lenses, obtaining greater quality of vision free of aberrations. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2023;60(4):248-252.].

Prevalendsi dan Karakteristik Sindroma Mata Kering pada Mahasiswa Semester Enam PSSKPD FK Unud

Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. This research purposes are to identify the prevalence and the characteristics of DES in medical student, Program Studi Sarjana Kedokteran dan Profesi Dokter (PSSKPD), Fakultas Kedokteran, Universitas Udayana (FK Unud). This research is a descriptive cross-sectional. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire is used to identify the prevalence and risk factors questionnaire such as gender, BMI, history of allergy, frequent use of over the counter (OTC) eye drops, frequent use of contact lens, and sleep quality, is used to identify the characteristics.&#x0D; This research conducted from March until September 2020. This research use total sampling method managed to collect 199 sample. The results of the study show the prevalence of DES in Preclinical Student of PSSKPD FK Unud is 106 students (52.7%) with 21% on mild severity, 15% on moderate severity, and 18% on severe severity. The characteristics of DES based on gender is 54% for male and 52% for female; on BMI are 40% for &lt;18 kg/m2, 55% for 18-25 kg/m2, 47% for &gt;25 kg/m2; on history of allergy is 47%; on history of OTC drug is 70%; on history of contact lens utilization is 64%; based abnormal quality of sleep is 64%.

Infectious Keratitis in Patients with Ocular Sjögren's Syndrome.

PurposeTo investigate the incidence, characteristics, risk factors, and treatment outcomes for infectious keratitis in patients with ocular Sjögren’s syndrome (SS).MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of patients who had been followed up for ocular SS in Seoul National University Hospital from 2010 to 2020 and identified cases where infectious keratitis developed. The incidence, demographical and clinical characteristics, risk factors, microbiological profiles, and treatment outcome were investigated, some of which were compared with infectious keratitis cases in the non-SS group.ResultsOut of 929 patients with ocular SS, infectious keratitis occurred in 18 eyes (1.94%). All 18 patients were female in the ocular SS group, while 48 out of 100 infectious keratitis patients (48%) were female in the non-SS group (p < 0.01). The mean age at diagnosis of infectious keratitis was 66.1 years in the ocular SS group, which was not different from the non-SS group (57.2 years, p = 0.12). Of risk factors analyzed, the use of therapeutic contact lens was more frequently used in the ocular SS patients, compared to the non-SS patients (67% vs. 11%, p < 0.01). Culture-positivity rate was 50% in the ocular SS group. All culture-proven cases were bacterial infection, one of which was bacterial-fungal coinfection. Infection resolved in all eyes after the mean 29 days of medical treatment, except one that additionally required penetrating keratoplasty with vitrectomy. The visual acuity improved in 15 eyes (83%) after resolution. Infectious keratitis recurred in three patients (17%) during the mean 55.7 months of follow-up.ConclusionsThe incidence of infectious keratitis was 1.94% in patients with ocular SS. Most were bacterial infections and resolved by medical treatment. Therapeutic and visual outcomes were favorable, but recurrence occurred in 17%.

Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy: A Review of the Intermediate-Term Clinical and Surgical Outcomes

To evaluate the intermediate-term clinical outcomes of Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy (RB-PDAT) for infectious keratitis; secondarily, to evaluate the surgical outcomes of individuals who underwent optical keratoplasty after RB-PDAT. Retrospective cohort study. A retrospective chart review was performed of 31 eyes from 30 consecutive individuals with infectious keratitis refractory to standard medical therapy who underwent RB-PDAT at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between January 2016 and July 2020. Data collected included demographics, risk factors for infectious keratitis, microbiological diagnosis, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), clinical outcomes after RB-PDAT, and complication rates post-keratoplasty. RB-PDAT was performed as described in previous studies. Graft survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves with log-ranks in individuals who underwent keratoplasty after RB-PDAT. The mean age of the study population was 53 ± 18.0 years. In all, 70% were female; 53.3% self-identified as non-Hispanic White and 43.3% as Hispanic. Mean follow-up time was 28.0 ± 14.4 months. Risk factors included contact lens use (80.6%), history of infectious keratitis (19.3%), and ocular surface disease (16.1%). Cultures were positive for Acanthamoeba (51.6%), Fusarium (12.9%), and Pseudomonas (6.5%). Of the individuals with Acanthamoeba infection, 22.5% were treated with concomitant Miltefosine. Clinical resolution was achieved in 77.4% of patients on average 2.72 ± 1.85 months after RB-PDAT, with 22.5% requiring therapeutic penetrating keratoplasties and 54.8% subsequently requiring optical penetrating keratoplasties. At 2 years, the overall probability of graft survival was 78.7%, and the graft failure rate was 21.3%. RB-PDAT is a potential adjunct therapy for infectious keratitis that may reduce the need for a therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty. Patients who undergo keratoplasty after RB-PDAT may have a higher probability of graft survival at 1 year postoperatively.

Assessment of risk factors on eye dryness in young adults using visual display device in both contact lens wearers and non-wearers.

PurposeResearchers are interested in examining the impact of visual display devices (VDDs) on the development of dry eye illness because their use is becoming more common among college students. The goal of this study was to see if there was a link between certain risk factors and the development of eye dryness in VDDs using young adults who wore contact lenses and those who did not.MethodsThe self-administrated survey was hosted in Google Forms, sent via e-mail to the participants. It consisted of two parts of assessing different risk factors (i.e., environmental conditions, angle of gaze, and years of VDD use) with contact lens use and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. The OSDI scores of the entire sample who suffer from dry eye and the subgroup using contact lenses were calculated. The relationship between different risk factors with the OSDI scores was also assessed.ResultsA total of 274 young adults from college students and academic staff (216 female, 58 male) were suffering from eye dryness. Eighty-eight of the 274 participants wore contact lenses. The mean OSDI scores of the 274 young adults were 32.92. Mean OSDI scores in contact lens wearers and non-wearers were 34.36 and 32.24, respectively (p < 0.01). There was a statistically significant relationship between OSDI score and indoor environmental conditions in computer using VDD group. Using a computer in a dark environment and above the line of sight resulted in a higher OSDI scores. Females who wore contact lenses while using a computer for more than three years had significantly higher OSDI scores than non-wearer females. Tablet type VDD use increased the mean ODSI scores of the contact lens wearers significantly.ConclusionsDry eye symptoms were shown to be increased in the contact lens wearer group with the increased duration of computer VDD use, decreased indoor environmental brightness conditions, and above the line of sight.