Eighty-two percent of these SCL wearers did not present with any complications during the observation period >2 years. The risk factors for inflammatory and infectious events among SCL wearers in clinical practice are similar to those reported in prospective clinical trials. High ametropia and age <25 years are the risk factors that impact the most types of events.

To estimate the cumulative probability and risk factors for developing corneal infiltrates after up to 3 years of continuous wear (CW) with lotrafilcon A lenses. Methods: Patients were fitted with lotrafilcon A lenses and followed up for 3 years. The main outcome variable was the first occurrence of any infiltrative event in either eye. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the probability of developing infiltrates as a function of demographic and biomicroscopy findings. Results: A total of 317 patients participated in this study. The Kaplan-Meier unadjusted cumulative incidence of a corneal infiltrate after CW was 5.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.0%-8.4%) at the end of 1 year, 8.5% (95% CI, 5.2%-11.9%) at the end of 2 years, and 10.3% (95% CI, 6.6%-13.9%) at the end of 3 years. Corneal staining and limbal redness present in the affected eye on a previous visit were significantly associated with the development of an infiltrative event (hazard ratios, 7.23 and 3.18; PϽ.001 and P=.02, respectively). Conclusions: Corneal staining and limbal redness may predict the subsequent development of an infiltrative event among CW contact lens patients. The probability of remaining free of any corneal infiltrates at the end of 3 years of CW of contact lenses was 89.7% (95% CI, 86.1%-93.4%).

Continuous wear of high Dk silicone hydrogel lenses resulted in an improvement in ocular redness and neovascularization and dryness symptoms among subjects in this trial, regardless of their previous low Dk lens-wearing schedule. All improvements in signs and symptoms were sustained through 12 months.