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Study: Bandage contact lens does not improve LASIK outcomes

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MUNICH, Germany — Use of a bandage contact lens did not prevent microstriae following LASIK and may have been detrimental to the postop visual acuity in a study reported here.

Walter Sekundo, MD, reported 1-year results of a two-center, prospective, randomized trial he conducted with H. Burkhard Dick, MD.

In the study, one eye each of 100 patients was treated after LASIK with ofloxacin drops and dexamethasone jelly followed by the application of a patch. The fellow eye was treated with a bandage contact lens soaked in ofloxacin and dexamethasone and applied immediately following LASIK.

Patient preferences and reasons for their preferences were evaluated. Uncorrected visual acuity was evaluated at 3 months postop. Flaps were evaluated for striae using retroillumination photography.

According to the study, 54% of patients reported disliking the bandage contact lens, citing the presence of a foreign body sensation as their main reason. In contrast, 27% of patients said they preferred the eye that received the bandage contact lens because they felt the eye was protected. The remaining 19% of patients expressed no preference.

Dr. Sekundo said the eyes receiving the bandage contact lens also showed slightly worse visual acuities (0.6) than patched eyes (0.7), although this difference was not statistically significant.

Of interest, said Dr. Sekundo, was that 18 patients with the bandage contact lens and 16 patients with patch showed microstriae. There were three cases of diffuse lamellar keratitis in each group and one case in each that required flap stretching.