Extended Wear Hydrogel and Daily Wear Hard Contact Lenses for Aphakia. Success and Complications Compared in a Longitudinal Study

The success and complications of extended wear hydrogel (EWSCL) and daily wear hard contact lens (DWHCL) correction for aphakia were evaluated retrospectively in two comparable groups of unilaterally aphakic patients (64 with EWSCL, 86 with DWHCL). At the end of the follow-up period, 55% of patients in each group were still using contact lenses. Suppurative keratitis occurred in two (3%) patients using EWSCL and none with DWHCL. The relative risk to all patients of a complication developing severe enough to result in a loss of wearing time was 9.8 times higher for the EWSCL users compared with the DWHCL group; this risk increased to 11.4 times for the patients still using lenses at the end of the follow-up period. The EWSCL patients had 1.9 times more visits for routine care and 5 times more unplanned visits to deal with complications than the DWHCL patients.