Corneal hydration control in contact lens wearers with diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to assess the acute swelling and recovery response to contact lens-induced corneal hypoxia in diabetic patients who wear contact lenses. METHODS. A thick, low water content, soft contact lens was fitted under a light patch to one eye of 23 diabetic patients and one eye of 23 nondiabetic control subjects in a single-masked, controlled clinical study. After 2.5 hours an ultrasonic pachymeter was used to measure the induced corneal edema and the rate at which the cornea recovered to baseline thickness. RESULTS. The induced corneal edema was significantly less for the diabetic patients compared with the nondiabetic control subjects (p = 0.004). The corneas of the diabetic patients were found to recover from the induced edema at a similar rate to the corneas of the nondiabetic control subjects (p = 0.28). CONCLUSIONS. Diabetes mellitus alters aspects of corneal hydration control. Copyright © 2006 American Academy of Optometry.