A Contact Lens Approach To The Management Of Dry Eye.

Background: To determine whether the water gradient technology of Alcon Dailies Total 1 soft contact lenses can reduce non-contact lens related dry eye symptoms.
Methods: Thirty subjects contributed; 22 females (73.3%) and 8 males (26.7%) ranging in age from 18 to 69. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was administered to each subject. and those responding positively were enrolled in the study. Subjects were disqualified from the study if they had worn contact lenses or used artificial tears in the 5 hours leading up to the study. The subjects that were found to be symptomatic were asked to wear a daily contact lens, Dailies Total 1, in both eyes for a 4 hour time period. Schirmer II testing was done before and after contact lens wear, and a final symptom survey was repeated at the end of the study.
Results: For all subjects, the OSDI questionnaire showed a reduction in dry eye symptoms (28% mean score decrease) after wearing the Dailies Total 1 contact lens. For those whose Schirmer II test results were less than 10mm, tear volume measured after wearing the contact lenses increased by 64%. Both subjective and objective measures improved with contact lens wear.
Conclusions: Although traditional contact lenses are known to generally increase dry eye symptoms, water gradient contact lenses appear often to have the opposite effect. Advancements in contact lens technology may provide new management strategies for patients suffering from ocular surface disease.