Are You a Candidate for Soft Bandage Lenses?
Soft bandage lenses are usually reserved for severe or complicated cases of damage to the cornea.
Doctors may consider bandage lenses for people with:
- Corneal abrasions
- Corneal erosions
- Corneal diseases, such as bullous keratopathy
- Postsurgical corneal healing
- Conditions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a rare, severe, adverse drug reaction that affects the skin and mucous membranes)
- Severe dry eye
They’re more commonly used for corneal abrasions; postoperatively, including after corneal transplant; and when the surface of the eye needs to be protected, Galor says.
They aren’t commonly used for dry eye, though, according to Nicole Bajic, MD, an ophthalmologist at the Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “It’s not something I would recommend routinely. It’s in very select cases in which the drops are not providing adequate relief,” Dr. Bajic says.
Another instance is if the epithelium (the surface of the cornea) has become damaged, injured, or broken down from scratches, erosions, or poor healing, and is causing severe dry eye symptoms like stinging, sharp pain, or the feeling that something is stuck in the eye, Galor says.
While bandage contact lenses aren’t typically used for dry eye, research suggests that they help in this case: A study of 639 people with dry eye disease found that those who used therapeutic contact lenses, including bandage contact lenses, reported less pain, better comfort, and improved quality of life after other treatments — such as artificial tears, prescription eye drops, and punctal plugs (tiny plugs that decrease normal tear fluid drainage from the eye) — failed to fully relieve symptoms.
Kanevsky uses bandage contact lenses more frequently for conditions like recurrent erosions and abrasions, especially in children and older adults because they can reduce pain while allowing the cornea to heal.
“Sometimes I will use them when the dry eye has caused an erosion or abrasion, but this is a short-term solution,” she says.
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