Adhesion of Asian Dust Particles to Verofilcon a Soft Contact Lenses

PURPOSE: Asian dust poses a serious global health hazard. Airborne particles adhering to contact lenses may cause substantial damage to the ocular surface. The recently released one-day disposable silicone hydrogel soft contact lens (SCL), the verofilcon A, has a smooth surface with SMARTSURFACE(®) technology, which is designed to prevent adhesion of protein components and foreign bodies. The purpose of this study was to verify the protective quality of verofilcon A SCL against adhesion of Asian dust particles to its surface. METHODS: Verofilcon A and etafilcon A (control lens) SCLs were used (n=16 per group), and 0.2 mL of physiological saline containing 0.01 mg/mL of Asian dust particles was dropped on the surface of SCLs, allowed to stand for 1 hour, shaken for 1 minute, and rinsed three times with saline (after rinsing). In addition, the samples were agitated by a vortex mixer for 1 minute and rinsed three times with saline (after vortex). The number of Asian dust particles adhering to the SCLs and percentage of the surface area occupied by the Asian dust particles was determined before washing, after rinsing, and after vortexing. RESULTS: The number of adherent Asian dust particles was lower on verofilcon A SCL (297 ± 116 after rinsing, and 5 ± 14 after vortexing) than on etafilcon A SCL (523 ± 212 after rinsing, p=0.003, and 378 ± 268 after vortexing, p<0.001). The Asian dust adhesion area was also lower on verofilcon A SCL (3.6 ± 2.3% after rinsing and 0.0 ± 0.1% after vortexing than on etafilcon A (10.2 ± 2.1% after rinsing, p=0.002, and 5.2 ± 3.0% after vortexing, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that verofilcon A SCL has the property of low adhesion of Asian dust particles. Verofilcon A SCL can be recommended for SCL wearers during windy and Asian dust days.