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Tinted contact lenses improve visual function in Bothnia dystrophy patients
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Patients with Bothnia dystrophy showed improved visual function from wearing dark-tinted contact lenses, a small study found. The results suggest that use of such lenses may benefit other groups of patients who have prolonged adaptation to darkness or cone system dysfunction, the study authors noted.
Ola Sandgren, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Umeå, Sweden, evaluated the impact of dark brown-tinted soft contact lenses on 12 patients with Bothnia dystrophy, a genetic retinal dystrophy characterized by prolonged dark adaptation.
After 1 month of lens wear, the researchers found that patients with the lowest visual acuity experienced the most obvious improvement in visual function. These patients also preferred wearing darker contact lenses and continued using their lenses after completing the study.
In contrast, patients with better visual acuity preferred lighter-tinted contact lenses, and a few of these patients discontinued lens use after the study, the authors reported.
The study is published in the August issue of Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica.