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Bandage contact lenses effectively treat AKC
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Bandage contact lenses are appropriate treatment for adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis-related ocular surface problems, according to researchers.
Fifteen eyes of 15 consecutive patients requiring bandage contact lens (BCL) use for ocular surface issues related to adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) were enrolled in a study.
Average age at time of presentation was 26.8 years. The major reasons for BCL use included epithelial defect (seven eyes), filamentous keratopathy (five eyes), epithelial edema (one eye) and filamentous keratopathy with epithelial defect (two eyes).
The mean time to BCL application was 9 days, and mean duration of contact lens wear was 9.9 days, with a mean follow-up of 26.3 days.
Preservative-free artificial tears and topical antibiotics were used in all cases. Topical ganciclovir 0.15% gel (eight eyes), topical 0.4% povidone-iodine solution (nine eyes) and topical steroids (11 eyes) were also used in various combinations.
After the follow-up period, the mean visual acuity improved from 0.23 logMAR units to 0.01 logMAR units.
Excluding one patient who could not return for follow-up, in six patients with corneal epithelial defects, time to complete closure of the defect was 2 days in 50%, 3 days in 33.3% and 4 days in 16.7%. The mean time to complete epithelialization was 2.7 days, and in these six patients’ eyes, mean duration of contact lens wear was 4.7 days.
The researchers warn practitioners to be cautious of secondary infection during the use of BCL. – Abigail Sutton
Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.
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