Assessing A Baseline Time For Contact Lens Removal And The Effect On The Stabilization Of The Tear Film.

The use of corneal topographers in the optometric office is growing in popularity,
especially with difficult contact lens fits and the surging popularity of LASIK. Since the
removal of a hydrogel lens disrupts the tear film, it was of interest to see qualitatively and
quantitatively via the use of a corneal topographer whether a clinically significant change
occurs, and if so, how long of an amount of time until the tear film stabilizes. Also of
interest was whether the readings would change after wearing the contact lenses for several hours (compared to one hour) due to possible dehydration of the lens. When patients come in for an optometric exam, some patients recently put the contact in prior to the exam, while others have worked for several hours with the lenses in. Therefore, it was of interest to see if any variation occurred from one hour of hydrogel wear versus six hours of hydrogel wear, and whether the findings can be applied to the clinical setting so that an optimal fit can be made.