Contact lens complications presenting to a 24-hour casualty department

Abstract

A 6-month prospective study was designed to investigate the range of contact lens-related problems presenting to a24-hour eye casualty department. The influence of different types of contact lenses, wearing patterns, levels of hygiene practised and aftercare attendances were analysed. The commonest diagnoses were conjunctivitis (23.80 and corneal abrasions (19.70; 11.8% of patients presented with marginal keratitis and 3.1 % with a frank corneal abscess. Incidence of the more sight-threatening conditions was higher in the soft lens wearers and the risk of a corneal abscess, in particular, appeared to be greater when a soft lens was regularly worn overnight.