Role of therapeutic contact lenses in management of corneal disease

Purpose of review: The current review highlights areas of innovation and research in the use of contact lenses in the treatment of corneal ectasia and ocular surface disease.

Recent findings: A series of academic reports were published by a committee of experts reviewing evidence-based practice patterns of contact lens use. There continues to be active research in the use of contact lenses in the management of keratoconus, including mini-scleral lenses, custom impression-based scleral lenses and wavefront-guided scleral lenses. Recent reports on contact lenses for ocular surface disease were primarily reviews, retrospective case reports or case series, with publications on contact lens use in corneal epithelial defects, graft-vs.-host disease, limbal stem cell deficiency and neurotrophic keratitis. There are recent publications on advances in drug-eluting contact lenses.

Summary: Corneal specialists should be aware of current advances in the field of contact lens expanding their use in corneal ectasia and ocular surface disease.