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I have read with interest the scattered reports in the patient forums here relating contact lens wear to the permanent inducement of dry eye.
I've done lots of biblographical research on contact lenses and dry eye over the years. The literature is scattered with articles on the reduction of corneal sensation and contact lens wear, but I am unable to come up with anything on contact lens-induced neurotrophic keratititis or permanent dry eye. Patel et. al. (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2002), using confocal microscopy, studied the corneal nerve density of contact lens wearers and controls, and found no differences. The same article found about a 3% decrease in corneal sensitivity following the long term wear of both soft and RGP lenses using a corneal anesthesiometer.
In 2002, a paper by Ntola and Murphy entitled "The Effect of Contact Lens Wear on Corneal Sensation" concluded that the loss of sensation varied with lens material and duration of wear, but that return to normal levels occurred upon cessation of lens wear, taking as long as several months after decades of wear in the case of PMMA (which is no longer used). The authors also concluded that the use of highly permeable silicone-hydrogel lenses showed the least impact on corneal sensation, with faster recovery times.
I've done lots of biblographical research on contact lenses and dry eye over the years. The literature is scattered with articles on the reduction of corneal sensation and contact lens wear, but I am unable to come up with anything on contact lens-induced neurotrophic keratititis or permanent dry eye. Patel et. al. (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2002), using confocal microscopy, studied the corneal nerve density of contact lens wearers and controls, and found no differences. The same article found about a 3% decrease in corneal sensitivity following the long term wear of both soft and RGP lenses using a corneal anesthesiometer.
In 2002, a paper by Ntola and Murphy entitled "The Effect of Contact Lens Wear on Corneal Sensation" concluded that the loss of sensation varied with lens material and duration of wear, but that return to normal levels occurred upon cessation of lens wear, taking as long as several months after decades of wear in the case of PMMA (which is no longer used). The authors also concluded that the use of highly permeable silicone-hydrogel lenses showed the least impact on corneal sensation, with faster recovery times.