Scleral contact lenses are used with great success to improve vision, particularly in eye conditions where it is difficult to achieve acceptable correction with spectacles or regular contact lenses. Researchers from the Eye Research Group at UNSW Sydney evaluated the effect of instilling two different commercially available eye drops (HP-Guar/nanoemulsion and HP-Guar/sodium hyaluronate) prior to filling the lens bowl with saline, on symptoms of discomfort and vision, compared to filling lenses with saline alone. Assessments were conducted before and up to 6 hours post-lens application.
Eligible participants were custom fitted with miniscleral contact lenses, before attending assessment visits in the morning and afternoon on three separate days. Participants were randomly allocated to the order in which the eye drops were applied in this double masked study. At the morning visit, the miniscleral lenses were applied on eye in-office, and an initial assessment was conducted 5 minutes post-lens application. Subjective symptom questionnaires were administered remotely at 2 and 4 hours post-lens application, and participants returned for in-office assessment at 6 hours, followed by lens removal.Â
Instillation of the HP-Guar/nanoemulsion drop in conjunction with saline in miniscleral contact lenses was effective for improving symptoms of dryness, grittiness, foreign body sensation and fluctuating vision faster, compared to filling lenses with saline alone, whereas the HP-Guar/sodium hyaluronate drop improved symptoms of dryness only. Incorporating viscous agents rather than filling miniscleral lenses with saline alone enhances comfort and stabilises vision more quickly, improving wearer adaptation and lens fitting efficiency.
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