The effect of Contact Lens Wear on Tear Secretion.

Lee, Hae Ran; Lim, Jin Ock; Cho, Byung Chae

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 1988;29(4):487-492.
Published online April 1, 1988.

The effect of Contact Lens Wear on Tear Secretion.

Hae Ran Lee, Jin Ock Lim, Byung Chae Cho

Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Ewha Woman's University, Seoul, Korea.

콘텍트렌즈 착용이 누액 분비에 미치는 영향

이혜란(Hae Ran Lee),임진옥(Jin Ock Lim),조병채(Byung Chae Cho)

Abstract

Tear film consists of lipid layer, aqueous layer, and mucinous layer, and it acts as protection of cornea, nutritional supply, and refraction. The assumption of this study is that the use of contact lens may induce the rapid drainage of tear film, and may make it become thin, and may affect the function of corneal epithelium, and may induce several complication. The author analysed 168 volunteers of medical students. The volunteers consisted of junior and senior grades in Ewha Womans University were classified into two groups. One group was the users of contact lenses(70), and the other group was non-users of contacts lenses who have not any other ocular problems control group(98). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of tear secretion in fitting contact lens. The results were as follows; 1. Mean value and standard deviation of Schirmer test showed; contact lens group was 20.5 +/- 8.0mm/5min, and control group was 21.2 +/- 8.2mm/5min. There was no statistical significance between two groups. 2. The author could not obtain the statistical difference the users of soft contact lenses and the users of hard contact lenses, because the number of the users of hard contact lenses was so small in contrast to that of the users of soft contact lenses. 3. There was no significant correlation between daily wearing time and the result of Schimer test. 4. The correlation between the wearing period of contact lens and the result of Schirmer test showed; the longer wearing period of contact lens was, the longer wetting length of Schirmer test paper was, but it was not statistically significant. The authors concluded that the use of contact lens does not affect the secretion of tear.