The Effect of ChromaGen Contact Lenses on Corneal Clarity: A Corneal Densitometry

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of ChromaGen contact lens (CCL) on corneal clarity, expressed through the measurement of corneal densitometry (CD) values. METHODS: This study included 22 eyes of 22 patients with congenital red-green color vision deficiency who were admitted to our clinic for the CCL trial. After a detailed ophthalmological examination and CD measurement with Pentacam HR (Oculus Optikgerate GmbH, Wetzlar, Germany), the most appropriate CCLs were defined through pseudoisochromatic plates and inserted for 2 h. The CD measurement was repeated after the removal of the CCL. Comparison was made of CD values before and after the insertion of the most appropriate CCL. The after-CCL/before-CCL ratio was calculated, and the effect of CCL type on this ratio was investigated. RESULTS: The after-CCL values were higher in the anterior, central, posterior, and total thickness of the 0–2 mm concentric zone (p=0.044, p=0.040, p=0.021, and p=0.032, respectively) when compared to the before-CCL values. There was no statistically significant difference between before-CCL and after-CCL values in any layer of the 2–6, 6–10, and 10–12 mm concentric zones (p>0.05, for all). After-CCL/before-CCL ratios were similar in the Magenta2 (M2), Magenta3 (M3), and Violet3 (V3) types of CCLs (p>0.017). CONCLUSION: Usage for 2 h of CCL was observed to increase CD values in all layers of the 0–2 mm concentric zone irrespective of the type of CCL. Further studies with longer follow-up are required to determine the long-term effects and detect differing effects of CCL with different base curves.