title: Comparation of effectiveness of silicone hydrogel contact lens and hydrogel contact lens in patients after LASEK.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a comparative study of effectiveness of silicone hydrogel contact lens and hydrogel contact lens, which are used in patients after laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-three patients (121 eyes) with a spherical equivalent ≤-5.0 D were chosen after undergoing LASEK in 2012 at Guangdong General Hospital. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. The silicone hydrogel group included 32 cases (61 eyes) that wore silicone hydrogel contact lenses for 4-6d after the operation, while the hydrogel group included 31 cases (60 eyes) who wore hydrogel contact lenses for 4-6d after the operation. Patients' self-reported postoperative symptoms (including pain, photophobia, tears, and foreign body sensation) were evaluated. The healing time of the corneal epithelium, the visual acuity of patients without contact lens after epithelial healing, and the incidence of delayed corneal epithelial shedding were also assessed. The follow-up time was 1mo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative symptoms were milder in the silicone hydrogel group than in the hydrogel group. There were significant differences in pain, foreign body sensation, and photophobia between the 2 groups (P<0.05), although there was no significant difference in postoperative tearing (P>0.05). The healing time of the corneal epithelium in the silicone hydrogel lens group was markedly shorter than that in the hydrogel group (4.07±0.25 vs 4.33±0.82d, t=2.43, P=0.02). Visual acuity without contact lenses after healing of the corneal epithelium was better in the silicone hydrogel group compared with the hydrogel group (χ (2)=7.76, P=0.02). There was no significant difference in the occurrence of delayed corneal epithelial shedding between the 2 groups (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with LASEK using silicon hydrogel contact lenses had less discomfort and shorter corneal epithelial healing time compared with those using hydrogel contact lenses, suggesting that silicon hydrogel contact lenses may be considered to be a better choice of bandage contact lens after LASEK.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Juan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Ming
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Xiong
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Eye Institute, Guangdong Academy of Medical Science, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Yang
keywords: epithelial healing; hydrogel contact lens; laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis; silicone hydrogel contact lens