Lower volumes of tear menisci in contact lens wearers with dry eye symptoms.

PURPOSE To investigate tear meniscus volumes during short-term lens wear by soft contact lens (SCL) wearers with dryness symptoms. METHODS Three groups of 20 subjects were recruited. Group 1 consisted of SCL wearers with self-reported dryness. Group 2 consisted of asymptomatic wearers. Group 3 was composed of asymptomatic non-lens wearers. Contact lenses were fitted on each eye, and both upper and lower tear menisci were imaged before lens insertion, immediately afterward, and 30 minutes later, using optical coherence tomography. Custom software was used to yield the tear meniscus area, and then the volumes were calculated based on eyelid length. Repeatability was tested 30 minutes after lens wear on two consecutive days. RESULTS There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the volumes measured at 30 minutes after lens insertion on 2 days. In addition, the repeatability between days was similar among the groups. The upper and lower meniscus volumes were significantly lower in group 1 than in either of the asymptomatic groups at baseline, immediately after insertion, and 30 minutes later (P < 0.05). The upper tear meniscus in group 3 was greater than in group 2 at all times (P < 0.05). The lower meniscus volume immediately after insertion was significantly higher in group 3, the inexperienced wearers, than in group 2 (P < 0.05); however, the volumes at baseline and 30 minutes later were similar to one another (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Tear volumes in dry eye symptomatic wearers were lower than asymptomatic wearers at baseline and during lens wear, which may have contributed to the dryness.