The Effects Of Prism Ballasted Soft Toric Contact Lenses On The Cornea.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of prism ballasted soft toric contact lenses on the cornea.
Methods: Eight toric contact lens wearers who showed corneal topographic changes upon
examination were asked to discontinue contact lens wear. The Humphrey corneal topographer was used to evaluate the greatest areas of change. Topographies were taken on the day of discontinuing contact lens wear and monthly thereafter until the corneas appeared to become stable. The topographies were then compared using the healing trend difference plot.
Results: Corneal changes were observed both superiorly and inferiorly. No specific steepening or flattening trend was observed superiorly, however twelve of the sixteen eyes showed a steepening trend inferiorly. Most of the eyes showed the greatest amount of change one month after discontinuing contact lens wear.
Conclusion: The types of changes that may occur after contact lens wear may vary from patient to patient, therefore the importance of evaluating contact lens wearers for contact lens induced corneal changes should not be overlooked. Corneal topographies should be taken before fitting a patient with contact lenses and periodically thereafter to monitor any corneal changes that may be caused by contact lens wear.