Comparison of Lotrafilcon B and Balafilcon A silicone hydrogel bandage contact lenses in reducing pain and discomfort after photorefractive keratectomy: A contralateral eye study.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of two silicone hydrogel contact lenses with high oxygen permeability in patients having photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

SETTING

Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

METHODS

Sixty patients (120 eyes) who had bilateral PRK were enrolled in this double blind clinical trial. Each patient was fitted with a Lotrafilcon B (Air Optix(®)AQUA, Ciba Vision, Duluth, GA, USA) lens in one eye and a Balafilcon A (PureVision™ Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY, USA) lens in the fellow eye. Patients' responses to a subjective questionnaire in terms of pain, foreign body sensation, photophobia, blurred vision and epiphora were evaluated on the first and third postoperative days.

RESULTS

Mean pain score for Lotrafilcon B and Balafilcon A contact lenses was 4.43±3.18 vs. 5.45±3.37 on the first postoperative day and 3.43±3.23 vs. 3.88±3.01 on the third postoperative day. However, the difference was only significant in the first 24h after surgery (P=0.032). Foreign body sensation was clinically higher with Balafilcon A contact lens (5.0±3.47 vs. 4.08±3.34 on day 1 and 4.98±3.52 vs. 3.55±3.20 on day 3) and the difference was statistically significant on the first and the third postoperative days (P=0.042 and 0.002, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between two contact lenses in terms of photophobia, epiphora and blurred vision (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The Lotrafilcon B lens resulted in significantly less postoperative pain and discomfort after PRK, especially in the first 24h after PRK.