Silico-acrylate contact lenses for extended wear.

Extended wear contact lenses (EWCL) have been successfully used for the correction of aphakia. Disadvantages of soft EWCL are lens precipitates, lens loss and failure to correct higher astigmatic errors. Silico-acrylate rigid EWCL with high oxygen transmissibility have been used in this study to correct aphakia and higher astigmatic errors. Fourteen eyes were fitted with Boston IV lenses and observed for a mean of 6.5 months. All patients tolerated the rigid EWCL well without important complications. One patient discontinued lens wear because of discomfort without obvious clinical abnormalities. Rigid silico-acrylate EWCL are a reliable alternative for soft EWCL and are in some cases to be preferred to soft EWCL.