[Keratoconus special soft contact lens fitting].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the fitting and use of a soft contact lens in keratoconic patients.


METHODS
Retrospective study on 80 eyes of 66 patients, fitted with a special soft contact lens for keratoconus, at the Contact Lens Section of UNIFESP and private clinics. Keratoconus was classified according to degrees of disease severity by keratometric pattern. Age, gender, diagnosis, keratometry, visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), base curve and clinical indication were recorded.


RESULTS
Of 66 patients (80 eyes) with keratoconus the mean age was 29 years, 51.5% were men and 48.5% women. According to the groups: 15.0% were incipient, 53.7% moderate, 26.3% advanced and 5.0% were severe. The majority of the eyes of patients using contact lenses (91.25%) achieved visual acuity better than 20/40. To 88 eyes 58% were tihed with lens with spherical power (mean -5.45 diopters) and 41% with spherocylinder power (from -0.5 to -5.00 cylindrical diopters). The most frequent base curve was 7.6 in 61% of the eyes. The main reasons for this special lens fitting were due to reduced tolerance and poor fitting pattern achieved with other lenses.


CONCLUSIONS
The special soft contact lens is useful in fitting difficult keratoconic patients by offering comfort and improving visual rehabilitation that may allow more patients to postpone the need for corneal transplant.
Yamazaki
Ester Sakae
ES
Setor de Lente de Contato e Refração, Departamento de Oftalmologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. ester.yamazaki@gmail.com
da Silva
Vanessa Cristina Batista
VC
Morimitsu
Vagner
V
Sobrinho
Marcelo
M
Fukushima
Nelson
N
Lipener
César
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D019781:Corneal Topography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity