European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 11 - Number 3
Eur J Anat, 11 (3): 181-184 (2007)

Effect of contact lens wear on the anatomic values of the corneal thickness

Sanchis-Gimeno J.A., Herrera M., Rahhal M.S., Martinez-Soriano F.

Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Unit of Human Anatomy, Embryology and Biomechanics, Department of Optics, University of Alicante, Spain; Rahhal Ophthalmology Clinic, Valencia, Spain; Departamento de Anatomía Y Embriología Humana, Facultad de Medicina de Valencia, Av/ Blasco Ibáñez 15, E-46010 Valencia, Spain

ABSTRACT The aim was to analyze the changes in central corneal thickness values due to soft contact lens wear. We analyzed the central corneal thickness values (baseline measurements) of 15 myopic adolescent soft contact lens wearers (15 eyes; aged 15 to 16 years old). Three years later, the central corneal thickness was measured again. We also measured the central corneal thickness of 31 myopic adolescents who did not use contact lenses (31 eyes; aged 15 to 16 years old) and 34 myopic contact lens wearers aged between 25 and 40 years old (34 eyes). We obtained the mean of five measurements using the Orbscan Topography System II (Orbscan, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA). In the later measurements (three years) there was a significant decrease in the central corneal thickness values (p=0.012) of the adolescent contact lens wearers and the contact lens subjects aged 25 to 40 years old (p<0.001). This decrease was not found in the adolescent non-contact lens wearers (p=0.476). The central corneal thickness values of the adolescent contact lens wearers were significantly lower than the baseline values up to four weeks after removal of their contact lenses (p=0.201). In conclusion, there was a significant reduction in the anatomic values of corneal thickness associated with soft contact lens wearers, although baseline thickness values recovered to normal levels approximately one month after the use of contact lenses had ceased.

Keywords: adolescent, adolescent disease, article, contact lens, cornea thickness, human, major clinical study, myopia

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)