Hyper-Dk contact lenses safe for extended wear, study says

DALLAS — New hyper-oxygen transmissible contact lenses were as safe for 30-day continuous wear as for 6-day continuous wear, according to a study here. The hyper-Dk material showed less bacterial binding during use than high-Dk lenses, according to the study at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center.

Researchers here studied 178 patients who were fitted with either hyper-Dk soft lenses, hyper-Dk rigid gas permeable lenses or high-Dk soft lenses. In all three groups, bacterial binding peaked after 3 months, then gradually decreased and returned to baseline between 9 months and 12 months after use began. The researchers called this recovery “a remarkable adaptive effect” and said it was one of the most important findings of the study.

The hyper-Dk rigid gas permeable lenses did not show increased bacterial adherence. There was no significant difference between 6-night and 30-night continuous wear of the hyper-Dk soft lens in any outcome measure.

The study is published in the January issue of Ophthalmology.