• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the changes of lens morphology and tear stability during wearing soft contact lenses (SCLs) which were kept in drying condition like dry eye or became to be dried due to heedless care. Method: SCLs having different water content, thickness or material were rehydrated after being dehydrated artificially 2 or 4 times, and estimated their diameter and radius. Furthermore, the changes of tear film break-up time (TBUT) during SCL wearing were also measured. Result: Due to the dryness, the diameter of both 70% water content SCL and 59% water content SCL decreased, but the decrement was larger in 59% water content SCL. The more 59% water content SCL was dehydrated, the more its radius changed. However, the radius of 70% water content SCL did not change by 2 times dehydration and increased greatly by 4 times dehydration. The reduction of diameter of -1.00 D SCL was greater than that of -9.00 D SCL. Moreover, the radius of -1.00 D SCL increased depending on the frequency of dehydration but that of -9.00 D SCL did not changed. The diameter and radius changes of lotrafilcon B, silicone hydrogel lens, were less than those of hilafilcon B, copolymer of HEMA and N-vinyl pyrrolidone. TBUT during wearing SCLs decreased by wearing dehydrated SCLs. Conclusion: The diameter and radius of dehydrated SCLs as well as TBUT during wearing them were changed in spite of rehydration, which would be the important cause of uncomfortable feeling when people wore dehydrated SCL. The changes of SCL morphology and TBUT differed according to the water content, lens thickness and material.