The effect of hard contact lens wear on the keratoconic corneal endothelium after penetrating keratoplasty.
Using wide-field specular microscopy, we evaluated the morphologic features of the corneal endothelium in 14 eyes of 14 patients with keratoconus who had worn a polymethylmethacrylate hard contact lens for at least four years (mean, 71 months) after penetrating keratoplasty. Comparisons were made with 14 non-lens-wearing eyes of 14 patients with keratoconus matched for age, length of postoperative period, and other variables. Examination of the endothelium of the contact lens wearers showed a significantly higher coefficient of variation in cell size (polymegethism) and a marked decrease in the percentage of hexagonal cells (pleomorphism), with a significant decrease in cell density (P less than .05). The cause of these morphologic abnormalities remains unclear but may be related to lens-induced hypoxic stress to the corneal endothelium causing ongoing cell loss.
Matsuda
M
M
Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
MacRae
S M
SM
Inaba
M
M
Manabe
R
R
D002452:Cell Count; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008768:Methylmethacrylates; D011184:Postoperative Period
D008768:Methylmethacrylates