非含水性ソフトコンタクトレンズによる重症涙液減少症の治療

Treatment of severe dry eye with nonhydrated soft contact lens

　重症涙液減少症に対する治療として5例8眼に対して非含水性ソフトコンタクトレンズを使用した．これらの症例はすべて涙点閉鎖が行われているにもかかわらず充分な治療効果の無かった症例で，この非含水性ソフトコンタクトレンズ装用により，著明な自覚症状の軽減と視力の改善をみた．このコンタクトレンズは，涙液減少症の治療の一つとして有効であると考えられる．

We treated 8 eyes,5 patients,by applying nonhy-drated soft contact lens to relieve severe dry eye. The series included 4 eyes with Stevens-Johnson syndrome and 4 eyes after severe epidemic ker-atoconjunctivitis.All the eyes resisted prior conven-tional treatments including punctum occlusion.We employed soft contact lens made of a co-polymer butylacrylate and butylmethacrylate.

As rationale for the attempt, we expected thatthe nonhydrated soft contact lens would, 1) protectthe ocular surface against rubbing by the eyelid,2)retain tear fluid beneath the contact lens and 3)inhibit evaporation, While the first two featurescan be expected from other soft contact lenses, the evaporation-inhibiting effect seemd to be possible with the nonhydrated soft contact lenses as the current one.

The treatment was generally beneficial, particu-larly when judged by recovery of visual acuity. Use of nonhydrated soft contact lens is to be recom-mended in the treatment of dry eye in general.

Rinsho Ganka (Jpn J Clin Ophthalmol) 42(12) : 1327-1331, 1988