The use of silicone hydrogel lenses in community practice to promote corneal re-epithelialisati...
1 October 2009
Volume 10, Issue 4
Silicone hydrogel lenses are becoming increasingly popular for recurrent corneal erosion.
Introduction
Recurrent corneal erosions can occur spontaneously or secondary to trauma. When spontaneous there will often be a predisposing factor, in this case a corneal epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD). Patients with recurrent corneal erosions secondary to EBMD tend to present with more chronic recurrent symptoms than trauma-related cases (Heyworth et al. 1998, Hykin et al. 1994). Most cases of recurrent corneal erosion will resolve within 5 days with minimal intervention required by the practitioner (Hykin et al. 1994): in more recalcitrant cases a therapeutic contact lens device (TCLD) may be considered (Arora et al. 2004, Bacon et al. 1994, Ehrlich 2001, Hykin et al. 1994, Kalgard et al. 2002). As these lenses tend to be worn on an extended-wear basis, silicone hydrogel lenses are becoming more popular (Arora et al. 2004, Kalgard et al. 2002, Lim et al. 2001) to meet the oxygen transmissibility requirements for this modality (Harvitt & Bonano 1999).
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