Prolonged wear soft contact lenses.

Of 78 patients eligible for prolonged wear contact lenses, 50 (65%) were successfully fitted and followed for four months to four years. The most serious complication was peripheral corneal ulceration, occurring in 5 (10%) patients. None of these patients suffered permanent visual loss. The fitting of prolonged wear lenses required six or seven office visits during the first year and at least one lens per eye during the first year, for uncomplicated cases. In difficult cases the number of office visits and the number of replacement lenses increased significantly. In terms of the number of office visits and replacement lenses, the soft contact lens compares unfavorably with the intraocular lens. It is our feeling that the prolonged wear soft contact lens should be used when a lens implant is contraindicated or as an alternative to secondary lens implantation.