Long-Term Benefits of Tear Exchangeable Limbal-Rigid Contact Lens Wear Therapy in Stevens–Johnson Syndrome Cases

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term benefits of tear-exchangeable, limbal-rigid contact lens (CL) wear therapy in patients with Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS)–associated ocular sequelae. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated 50 eyes of 41 SJS patients (15 men and 26 women) who underwent limbal-rigid CL wear therapy for more than 2 years post fitting. Ocular sequelae (i.e., conjunctival hyperemia, corneal neovascularization, and upper tarsus scarring) before fitting and at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and annually after initiating CL wear therapy were evaluated and then graded on a severity score (range: 0–3, maximum score: 3). Moreover, visual acuity (VA) at immediately post initiating CL wear therapy was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 4.3±1.1 years. Compared with before fitting, the mean conjunctival hyperemia score improved from 1.14 to 0.86 at 3 months of CL wear therapy (P<0.01) and was maintained thereafter; the mean corneal neovascularization score improved from 2.10 to 1.98 at 3 months of CL wear therapy, with no deterioration of the score observed in all cases at the final follow-up examination, and mean VA (log of minimum angle of resolution) improved from 1.60 to 1.04 at immediately post initiating CL wear therapy (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Limbal-rigid CL wear therapy can provide long-term ocular surface stabilization and improved VA in SJS patients.