Assessment of a Novel Lens Surface Treatment for Scleral Lens Wearers With Dry Eye

Objectives: To compare lens comfort and dry eye (DE) symptoms of DE scleral lens (SL) wearers fit with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based surface-treated and untreated SLs. Dry eye signs, comfortable SL wearing time (WT), vision quality, and lens-related ocular surface changes were also assessed. Methods: Twenty-one SL wearers with DE and SL discomfort were enrolled in a double-masked crossover study. Participants were randomized to wear their untreated or PEG (Tangible Hydra-PEG, Tangible Science; Redwood, CA) surface-treated SL of the same parameters first for 30 days. Lens comfort, DE symptoms, and ocular surface assessments were measured at baseline, after the first test period, and after the crossover. Comfortable lens WT and frequency of foggy vision were recorded. Comparisons were assessed using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Polyethylene glycol–treated SL wear resulted in significantly improved: lens comfort ( P =0.003), DE symptoms ( P =0.004), corneal sodium fluorescein staining ( P =0.01), temporal conjunctival lissamine green staining ( P =0.01), lid wiper epitheliopathy ( P =0.002), conjunctival papillae ( P =0.003), frequency of foggy vision ( P =0.002), tear break-up time (TBUT) ( P =0.01), and comfortable lens WT ( P =0.002) compared with untreated wear. There were no significant changes between treated and untreated lens wear for TBUT over the SL ( P =0.14) and nasal conjunctival lissamine green staining ( P =0.06). Conclusions: Polyethylene glycol surface-treated SLs provided improved comfort, reduced DE symptoms, and reduced ocular surface compromise compared with untreated SLs for participants with DE.