This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Prosthetic contact lens aids patient after PKP, iridectomy, IOL implantation
This 21-year-old was concerned about his cosmetic appearance, visual acuity and lens discomfort after a ski pole penetrated his eye.
A 21-year-old Caucasian male was referred to the Eye Care Clinic of Fullerton by the corneal specialist at a local ophthalmology group. At the age of 20, a ski pole penetrated the cornea of the patient’s left eye. The cornea was immediately sutured. Subsequently, he underwent a penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), iridectomy and lens extraction with IOL implantation.
The resulting ocular and visual outcome was unacceptable, and the patient was quite concerned by the cosmetic appearance of the corneal scar and iridectomy. His best-corrected visual acuity was 20/200, and he reported experiencing light sensitivity and glare.
Low myopia, astigmatism
Because of the iridectomy, a Wesley Jessen (Des Plaines, Ill.) chestnut brown prosthetic lens with a black underprint was used to best match the patient’s fellow eye. He had an ametropia of low myopic astigmatism. The Wesley Jessen prosthetic contact lens was ordered with an equivalent sphere power to correct the ametropia. This allowed an improvement in acuity from 20/400 without a contact lens to 20/200 with a contact lens. The patient reported a decrease in glare with the prosthetic contact lens.
| A Wesley Jessen prosthetic lens helped this patient with a traumatic cataract. | |
RGP lens may improve vision
Some patients may not be satisfied with the visual performance. A rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lens can improve vision; however, comfort with the RGP lens was unacceptable for this patient. Another alternative for unacceptable vision or visual disturbance may be to black out the pupil for complete occlusion.
In postsurgical fitting of this cornea, oxygen permeability is decreased by the prosthetic soft contact lens. The donor cornea is at risk for rejection, and the host cornea is at risk for vascularization because of the previous traumatic event. Minimizing the contact lens wear time and frequent follow-up are necessary to evaluate corneal health. The patient was returned to the referring doctor to monitor the cornea
Editor’s note:
This article was previously published in Primary Care Optometry News, a SLACK, Incorporated publication.
For Your Information:
- Harue J. Marsden, OD, MS, can be reached at Southern California College of Optometry, 2575 Yorba Linda Blvd., Fullerton, CA 92831; (714) 449-7433; fax: (714) 992-7811; e-mail: hmarsden@scco.edu. Dr. Marsden has no direct financial interest in any of the products mentioned in this article, nor is she a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.