Symptoms and Signs in Rigid Gas Permeable Lens Wearers During Adaptation Period.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate neophyte contact lens wearers' fitting to rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses in terms of wearing time, tear volume, stability, corneal staining, and subjective ratings, over a 1-month period of time.


METHODS
Twenty-two young healthy subjects were enrolled for wearing RGP on a daily wear basis. The participants included in this study never wore contact lenses and showed a value under 10 in McMonnies Questionnaire. Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire, Visual Analog Scales, Schirmer test, tear film break-up time (BUT), and corneal staining grading were performed. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 1, 7, 15, and 28 days.


RESULTS
Six subjects dropped out due to discomfort from the study before 1 month (27% of discontinuation rate). Successful RGP wearers (16 participants) achieved high levels of subjective vision and reported comfort scores of approximately 9 of 10 between 10 and 15 days. They reported wearing their lenses for an average of 10.12±2.43 hr after 1 month of wear. Conversely, unsuccessful wearers discontinued wearing the lenses after the first 10 to 15 days, showing comfort scores and wearing time significantly lower compared with the first day of wear. Schirmer test showed a significant increase at 10 days (P<0.001), and the BUT trends decreased after the first week of wear in unsuccessful group.


CONCLUSIONS
Symptomatology related with dryness and discomfort, detected during the first 10 days of the adaptation, may help the clinician to predict those participants who will potentially fail to adapt to RGP lens wear.
Department of Optics II (Optometry and Vision) (G.C., A.M.-G., P.A.-G.), Faculty of Optic and Optometry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; and Clinical and Experimental Optometry Research Lab (S.C.P., R.M., J.M.G.-M.), Center of Physics (Optometry), School of Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
Gonzalo
G
Carracedo
Alba
A
Martin-Gil
Sofia C
SC
Peixoto-de-Matos
Pilar
P
Abejón-Gil
Rute
R
Macedo-de-Araújo
Jose M
JM
González-Méijome
D000328:Adult; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058447:Eye Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult