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RGP contact lenses may increase levels of inflammatory molecules in keratoconus patients

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Wearing rigid gas permeable contact lenses appears to stimulate overexpression of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 in the tears of keratoconus patients, a prospective study found. In addition, these increased levels of inflammatory molecules are higher in patients with severe keratoconus.

To determine the levels of inflammatory molecules in the tears of RGP contact lens patients, Isabel Lema, MD, PhD, and colleagues collected 15 µL of tears from 48 eyes of 48 patients with keratoconus and 40 eyes of 40 patients with myopia. Specifically, 20 keratoconus patients wore RGP contact lenses and 28 keratoconus patients were not lens wearers; 20 myopic patients were lens wearers and 20 myopic patients were not lens wearers.

The investigators used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the concentration of inflammatory molecules, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor (TNFa), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9).

Among keratoconus patients, the most significant differences associated with RGP contact lens wear were increased levels of IL-6 (P = .001), TNFa (P = .028) ICAM-1 (P < .0001) and VCAM-1 (P < .0001).

Among myopic patients, increased levels of TNFa (P < .0001) and MMP-9 (P < .0001) were associated with RGP contact lens wear, according to the study, published in the August issue of Cornea.