title: An early assessment of silicone hydrogel safety: pearls and pitfalls, and current status.
abstract: The contact lens industry has evolved and now provides many choices, including continuous wear, overnight orthokeratology, frequent-replacement lenses, daily-disposable lenses, and many alternatives in systems of care and maintenance. Epidemiologic studies to date have shown that how a lens is worn, particularly if worn overnight, can increase the risk of microbial keratitis. However, the risk of silicone hydrogel contact lenses worn on a continuous-wear basis has been evaluated only recently. This article summarizes the recent research data on extended-wear silicone hydrogel lenses and discusses the challenges of early evaluations of silicone hydrogel lens safety. Finally, the relevance of this information is discussed to practitioners and contact lens wearers making choices about the risks and benefits of different products and how they are used.
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. ljkeay@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keay
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stapleton
mesh_terms: D003262:Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015817:Eye Infections / Q000209:etiology; D019981:Health Care Sector; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D015994:Incidence; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007634:Keratitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009885:Ophthalmology; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012828:Silicones
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate