Improvement of Soft Contact Lens Wettability After the Instillation of Hyaluronic Acid Eye Drops

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of the topical instillation of hyaluronic acid eye drops with different viscosity on soft contact lens wettability and comfort. Methods: A randomized and participant-masked study was performed, involving 20 participants (25.462.6 years). One eye wore hydrogel (ocufilcon D) contact lenses, and another eye wore silicone-hydrogel (somofilcon A) contact lenses. The in vivo wettability tear film surface quality (TFSQ) index and comfort were measured before and after the instillation of different eye drops: saline solution (control) and 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% hyaluronic acid. Results: Compared with saline solution, the instillation of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% hyaluronic acid improved the in vivo wettability of the hydrogel contact lenses by decreasing their TFSQ mean for 5, 10, and 30 min, respectively (P,0.05). During silicone-hydrogel contact lens wear, the hyaluronic acid did not affect wettability because there were no changes in TFSQ mean (P$0.05), but the 0.3% hyaluronic acid produced a decrease in comfort for the first 3 min (P,0.05). Conclusions: The instillation of hyaluronic acid eye drops increased the in vivo wettability of the hydrogel contact lens, and the duration of this effect was directly related to its concentration and viscosity.

In Vitro Evaluation of Soft Contact Lens Wettability With a Nonmodified Commercial Videokeratoscope

“…In this regard, a recent in vivo study of our research group using the Medmont E300 reported that the topical instillation of the artificial tears containing HA improved the in vivo wettability of the hydrogel contact lens but had no effect on the silicone-hydrogel contact lens. 12 For the hydrogel contact lens, the topical instillation of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% HA increased in vivo wettability for 5, 10, and 30 min, respectively.…”

“…It is noteworthy that the effect of HA on in vivo wettability depended on the contact lens material, 12 but this was not observed under in vitro conditions (Table 2). Differences between the hydrogel and silicone-hydrogel contact lenses found that in vivo might be explained by the interaction between the ocular surface physiological conditions, the HA, and the physicochemical properties of contact lens polymers.…”

“…Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide present in the connective tissue of vertebrates, 11 is one of these wetting agents used in the contact lens field. Recent studies demonstrated the capability of this molecule to improve soft contact lens wettability both in vivo 12 and in vitro. [13][14][15][16] The measurement of in vitro wettability is a useful method to justify the wetting properties of contact lens products from a regulatory viewpoint 17 or being used in quality assurance procedures.…”

“…Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polysaccharide present in the connective tissue of vertebrates, 11 is one of these wetting agents used in the contact lens field. Recent studies demonstrated the capability of this molecule to improve soft contact lens wettability both in vivo 12 and in vitro. 13–16…”