Use of bandage contact lenses after laser in situ keratomileusis.

Journal of Refractive Surgery Volume 13 (suppl) August 1997 Aprospective, randomized double-blind, paired study was conducted on 13 individuals to evaluate the potential benefits of using bandage contact lenses in one eye following bilateral simultaneous laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Symptoms such as pain and discomfort, uncorrected visual acuity, spectacle-corrected visual acuity, manual keratometry, slit-lamp examination of the cornea with emphasis on the epithelium, and central pachymetry were all evaluated during the first day following the procedure. Patients who wore a bandage contact lens had less discomfort. In contrast, a statistically significant increase in corneal thickness along with more epithelial distortion and decrease in both uncorrected and spectacle-corrected visual acuity were present in those eyes with the bandage contact lens on the first postoperative day. All parameters were very similar at the examination 1 week after surgery. A bandage contact lens should be used only if an epithelial defect is present during the procedure or to avoid corneal damage from eyelid blinking during the early postoperative period. Anterior stromal exposure due to an epithelial defect is the major reason for pain and discomfort following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Bandage contact lenses have been suggested as a useful tool in the early postoperative management of these symptoms.1 After LASIK, most of the epithelium remains intact. Some surgeons, including ourselves, have used a bandage contact lens during the first postoperative day to speed flap margin re-epithelialization and to protect against potential trauma from blinking eyelid movements.2 To assess its potential benefit, we evaluated the use of a bandage contact lens in one eye following simultaneous bilateral LASIK.