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Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
The Effect of Limbal Fenestrations on Scleral Lens-Induced Central Corneal Oedema
Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics , Vol.Advanced access
09-Mar-2026
PMID: 41803503
Abstract
Purpose
Persistent corneal oedema can lead to reduced visual performance and longer-term ocular complications in eyes with reduced endothelial cell function. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of incorporating limbal scleral lens fenestrations on central corneal oedema.
Methods
Twenty young healthy adults (mean age ± standard deviation 32 ± 11 years) with normal corneas wore non-fenestrated and fenestrated (3 × 1 mm limbal fenestrations separated by 120°) OneFitMed+ scleral lenses in both eyes (on separate days) for 3 h. All other scleral lens parameters were held constant except for the addition of the fenestrations. Central fluid reservoir thickness and corneal oedema were quantified using optical coherence tomography, and corrections were made for small thickness variations between lens conditions.
Results
The corrected central corneal oedema was significantly reduced following fenestrated lens wear (0.80 ± 0.93%) compared to non-fenestrated lens wear (1.32 ± 0.81%; a 39% relative reduction, p = 0.02). The reduction in central corneal oedema with the fenestrated lens was slightly greater for participants without an air bubble in the fluid reservoir (n = 10, 0.73 ± 0.80% less oedema, 45% relative reduction) compared to those with an air bubble (n = 10, 0.30 ± 1.05% less oedema, 30% relative reduction) but was not statistically significant (p = 0.31).
Conclusion
The incorporation of three 1 mm diameter limbal fenestrations separated by 120° reduced the magnitude of central corneal oedema by 39% on average in healthy eyes compared to a non-fenestrated scleral lens. A reduction in central corneal oedema was still observed without the presence of an air bubble within the fluid reservoir. Future studies investigating the long-term efficacy of different fenestration configurations in clinical populations are warranted.
Clinical trial
This study was registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Registration number 12622001164785p), date of registration 24 August, 2022.
Details
- Title
- The Effect of Limbal Fenestrations on Scleral Lens-Induced Central Corneal Oedema
- Authors
- Damien Fisher - Queensland University of TechnologyDavid Alonso-Caneiro - University of the Sunshine CoastStephen J Vincent (Corresponding Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics , Vol.Advanced access
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- DOI
- 10.1007/s44402-026-00052-0
- ISSN
- 1475-1313; 0275-5408
- PMID
- 41803503
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- All data supporting the findings of this study are available within the paper.
- Grant note
- This research was funded by a CooperVision Science and Technology Award.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991214174102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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