Morphological changes in the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera following short-term miniscleral contact lens wear in rigid lens neophytes

David Alonso-Caneiro; Stephen J Vincent; Michael J Collins

doi:10.1016/j.clae.2015.06.008

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Morphological changes in the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera following short-term miniscleral contact lens wear in rigid lens neophytes

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Morphological changes in the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera following short-term miniscleral contact lens wear in rigid lens neophytes

David Alonso-Caneiro, Stephen J Vincent and Michael J Collins

Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, Vol.39(1), pp.53-61

2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2015.06.008

PMID: 26189941

Abstract

miniscleral contact lens

scleral thickness

corneo-scleral limbus

Purpose: To quantify the influence of short-term wear of miniscleral contact lenses on the morphology of the corneo-scleral limbus, the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera. Methods: OCT images of the anterior eye were captured before, immediately following 3 h of wear and then 3 h after removal of a miniscleral contact lens for 10 young (27 ± 5 years) healthy participants (neophyte rigid lens wearers). The region of analysis encompassed 1 mm anterior, to 3.5 mm posterior to the scleral spur. Natural diurnal variations in thickness were measured on a separate day and compensated for in subsequent analyses. Results: Following 3 h of lens wear, statistically significant tissue thinning was observed across all quadrants, with a mean decrease in thickness of −24.1 ± 3.6 μm (p < 0.001), which diminished, but did not return to baseline 3 h after lens removal (−16.9 ± 1.9 μm, p < 0.001). The largest tissue compression was observed in the superior quadrant (−49.9 ± 8.5 μm, p < 0.01) and in the annular zone 1.5 mm from the scleral spur (−48.2 ± 5.7 μm), corresponding to the approximate edge of the lens landing zone. Compression of the conjunctiva/episclera accounted for about 70% of the changes. Conclusions: Optimal fitting miniscleral contact lenses worn for three hours resulted in significant tissue compression in young healthy eyes, with the greatest thinning observed superiorly, potentially due to the additional force of the eyelid, with a partial recovery of compression 3 h after lens removal. Most of the morphological changes occur in the conjunctiva/episclera layers.

Details

Title: Morphological changes in the conjunctiva, episclera and sclera following short-term miniscleral contact lens wear in rigid lens neophytes
Authors: David Alonso-Caneiro (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Stephen J Vincent (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Michael J Collins (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
Publication details: Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, Vol.39(1), pp.53-61
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.clae.2015.06.008
ISSN: 1476-5411
PMID: 26189941
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99973596002621
Output Type: Journal article