Microbiological Evaluation of Bandage Soft Contact Lenses Used in Management of Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects

Enterobacter Cloacae keratitis after corneal cross-linking for keratoconus: A case report

PURPOSE

To report a case of Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) keratitis in a patient who underwent corneal crosslinking (CXL) for progressive keratoconus.

OBSERVATIONS

A 19-year-old female underwent CXL for keratoconus in her left eye. The patient neglected her post-procedure medications and missed the follow-up visit. Subsequently, she presented on day-10 post CXL with redness and pain in the treated eye. Clinical examination revealed a ring-shape infiltrate measuring 7.8 mm in diameter. Culture indicated the presence of E. cloacae. Treatment with gentamicin failed after the emergence of resistance. The patient was successfully treated with amikacin and moxifloxacin over several weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Judicious antibiotic selection is crucial to limit the emergence of resistance in multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. All patients need to be educated about their role in the management plan.

Wireless-Powered Electrical Bandage Contact Lens for Facilitating Corneal Wound Healing

Corneal injury can lead to severe vision impairment or even blindness. Although numerous methods are developed to accelerate corneal wound healing, most of them are passive treatments that rarely participate in controlling endogenous cell behaviors or are incompatible with nontransparent bandage. In this work, a wireless-powered electrical bandage contact lens (EBCL) is developed to generate a localized external electric field to accelerate corneal wound healing and vision recovery. The wireless electrical stimulation circuit employed a flower-shaped layout design that can be compactly integrated on bandage contact lens without blocking the vision. The role of the external electric field in promoting corneal wound healing is examined in vitro, where the responses of directional migration and corneal cells alignment to the electric field are observed. The RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis indicates that the electrical stimulation can participate in controlling cell division, proliferation, and migration. Furthermore, the wireless EBCL is demonstrated to accelerate the completed recovery of corneal wounds on rabbits' eyes by electrical stimulation, while the control group exhibits delayed recovery and obvious corneal defects. As a new generation of intelligent device, the wireless and patient-friendly EBCL can provide a promising therapeutic strategy for ocular diseases.

Comparative Evaluation of Bandage Contact Lenses and Eye Patching after Bilateral Cataract Surgery

Purpose

To comparatively evaluate the safety and satisfaction of bandage contact lens (BCL) and eye patching in patients after cataract surgery.

Methods

Sixteen (32 eyes) patients who planned to undergo bilateral cataract surgery were recruited. The two eyes of each patient were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group A and Group B were instructed to wear BCLs immediately at the end of the surgery until one week and eye patch immediately after surgery until one day, respectively. Visual analog scales of ten specific symptoms, Visual Function Index (VF-14) questionnaire, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were conducted on the first day before the surgery and Day 1 and Day 7 after surgery. Oculus keratography was conducted on the first day before surgery and on Day 7. Patient satisfaction was determined on Day 1. Moreover, bacterial species in the conjunctival sac, meibomian gland secretions, and BCLs were subsequently identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Results

The patient satisfaction scores of Group A were higher than Group B. Group A were more motivated to choose the same treatment and were more likely to recommend BCLs to others. No statistically significant differences were found in bacterial culture positivity between the groups. The differences in ocular signs and symptoms between the two groups were not statistically significant. There were no significant differences in the BCVA and VF-14 between the groups at any time point.

Conclusions

BCLs could be safely and effectively used in patients after cataract surgery.

Bandage Contact Lenses versus Deproteinized Calf Blood Extract Eye Gel for Recurrent Corneal Erosion Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

Background

The clinical efficacy of eye drops in the treatment of recurrent corneal erosion syndrome (RCES) is not satisfactory. Many studies have confirmed the positive effect of the bandage contact lens (BCL) in corneal diseases, but not many in patients with RCES. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of the BCL compared with deproteinized calf blood extract eye gel in the initial treatment of RCES.

Methods

Forty-seven patients with RCES treated in our hospital from September 2010 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 24 cases (26 eyes) in the bandage contact lenses (BCLs) group wearing bandage contact lens and 23 cases (24 eyes) in the drug group treated with deproteinized calf blood extract eye gel. The efficacy was evaluated after 3 months of treatment, with a mean follow-up time of 21.15 ± 1.71 months in the BCL group and 20.87 ± 1.89 months in the drug group. Corneal erosion resolution, pain relief, visual acuity recovery time, recurrence and complications were observed.

Results

After 3 months of treatment, 22 eyes (22/26, 84.6%) in the BCLs group achieved complete resolution, compared with 14 eyes (14/24, 58.3%) in the drug group (P <0.05). The corneal healing time in the BCLs group was 4.77 ± 4.51 weeks, which was significantly shorter than that in the drug group (9.83 ± 5.93 weeks (P <0.01)). At 1 and 2 months after treatment, the visual analogue score (VAS) in the BCLs group (3.28 ± 1.15 at 1 month and 1.90 ± 0.77 at 2 months) decreased more significantly than that in the drug group (4.54 ± 0.89 at 1 month and 2.43 ± 0.93 at 2months, P =0.000 at 1 month and P=0.034 at 2 months). At 3 months after treatment, the mean BCVA in the BCL group (logMAR 0.03±0.08) improved more significantly than that in the drug group (logMAR 0.14±0.12,P=0.001). The complete recovery time of visual acuity was 5.46 ± 4.43 weeks in the BCLs group, compared with 10.33 ± 6.12 weeks in the drug group (P =0.003). During further follow-up, recurrence was observed in 2 eyes (2/22, 9.1%) of the BCLs group and 6 eyes (6/14, 42.8%) of the drug group. No patient in both groups developed adverse side effects.

Conclusion

Bandage contact lenses are safe and effective in the initial treatment of RCES. Compared with topical deproteinized calf blood extract eye gel, the use of BCLs can provide a higher cure rate, better pain control, faster visual recovery and lower recurrence rate.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000031241. Registered 25 March 2020- Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=51309andhtm=4.