Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear

Discomfort is one of the leading causes associated with contact lens dropout. This study investigated changes in the tear film parameters induced by lens wear and their relationship with ocular symptomology. Thirty-four lens wearers (32.9 ± 9.1 years, 7 men) and thirty-three non-lens wearers (29.4 ±...

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Main Authors: Eduardo Insua Pereira, Madalena Lira, Ana Paula Sampaio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Vision
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5150/9/2/27
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author Eduardo Insua Pereira
Madalena Lira
Ana Paula Sampaio
author_facet Eduardo Insua Pereira
Madalena Lira
Ana Paula Sampaio
author_sort Eduardo Insua Pereira
collection DOAJ
description Discomfort is one of the leading causes associated with contact lens dropout. This study investigated changes in the tear film parameters induced by lens wear and their relationship with ocular symptomology. Thirty-four lens wearers (32.9 ± 9.1 years, 7 men) and thirty-three non-lens wearers (29.4 ± 6.8 years, 12 men) participated in this clinical setting. Subjects were categorised into asymptomatic (n = 11), moderate (n = 15), or severe symptomatic (n = 8). Clinical evaluations were performed in the morning, including blink frequency and completeness, pre-corneal (NIBUT) and pre-lens non-invasive break-up (PL-NIBUT), lipid interference patterns, and tear meniscus height. Contact lens wearers had a higher percentage of incomplete blinks (37% vs. 19%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and reduced tear meniscus height compared to controls (0.24 ± 0.08 vs. 0.28 ± 0.10 mm, <i>p</i> = 0.014). PL-NIBUT was shorter than NIBUT (7.6 ± 6.2 vs. 10.7 ± 9.3 s. <i>p</i> = 0.002). Significant statistical differences between the groups were found in the PL-NIBUT (<i>p</i> = 0.01) and NIBUT (<i>p</i> = 0.05), with asymptomatic recording higher times than symptomatic. Long-term use of silicone–hydrogel lenses can affect tear stability, production, and adequate distribution through blinking. Ocular symptomology correlates with tear stability parameters in both lens wearers and non-wearers.
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spelling doaj-art-91ec88099bfb42f7a4945edaf0770e3c2025-08-20T03:26:52ZengMDPI AGVision2411-51502025-04-01922710.3390/vision9020027Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens WearEduardo Insua Pereira0Madalena Lira1Ana Paula Sampaio2Physics Center of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), School of Sciences, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalPhysics Center of Minho and Porto Universities (CF-UM-UP), School of Sciences, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalCentre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, PortugalDiscomfort is one of the leading causes associated with contact lens dropout. This study investigated changes in the tear film parameters induced by lens wear and their relationship with ocular symptomology. Thirty-four lens wearers (32.9 ± 9.1 years, 7 men) and thirty-three non-lens wearers (29.4 ± 6.8 years, 12 men) participated in this clinical setting. Subjects were categorised into asymptomatic (n = 11), moderate (n = 15), or severe symptomatic (n = 8). Clinical evaluations were performed in the morning, including blink frequency and completeness, pre-corneal (NIBUT) and pre-lens non-invasive break-up (PL-NIBUT), lipid interference patterns, and tear meniscus height. Contact lens wearers had a higher percentage of incomplete blinks (37% vs. 19%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and reduced tear meniscus height compared to controls (0.24 ± 0.08 vs. 0.28 ± 0.10 mm, <i>p</i> = 0.014). PL-NIBUT was shorter than NIBUT (7.6 ± 6.2 vs. 10.7 ± 9.3 s. <i>p</i> = 0.002). Significant statistical differences between the groups were found in the PL-NIBUT (<i>p</i> = 0.01) and NIBUT (<i>p</i> = 0.05), with asymptomatic recording higher times than symptomatic. Long-term use of silicone–hydrogel lenses can affect tear stability, production, and adequate distribution through blinking. Ocular symptomology correlates with tear stability parameters in both lens wearers and non-wearers.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5150/9/2/27tear filmcontact lensesocular symptomsnon-invasive break-up time
spellingShingle Eduardo Insua Pereira
Madalena Lira
Ana Paula Sampaio
Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
Vision
tear film
contact lenses
ocular symptoms
non-invasive break-up time
title Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
title_full Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
title_fullStr Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
title_full_unstemmed Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
title_short Tear Film Changes and Ocular Symptoms Associated with Soft Contact Lens Wear
title_sort tear film changes and ocular symptoms associated with soft contact lens wear
topic tear film
contact lenses
ocular symptoms
non-invasive break-up time
url https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5150/9/2/27
work_keys_str_mv AT eduardoinsuapereira tearfilmchangesandocularsymptomsassociatedwithsoftcontactlenswear
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