Impact of Contact Lens Wear on Ocular Surface Mucins

Authors:
Michael Read¹, Subam Basuthkar², Philip Morgan¹, Carole Maldonado-Codina¹, Nancy Kier² and Maria Navascues-Cornago¹

1 Eurolens Research, The University of Manchester, UK.
2 CooperVision Inc., Pleasanton, CA.
 

Purpose: 
Previous work suggests that contact lens (CL) wear negatively impacts mucin density across the cornea (Read et al, 2020). This pilot study assessed changes in ocular surface mucins after CL wear discontinuation in both habitual and neophyte wearers.
 

Methods:
Ten participants (five habitual CL wearers and five neophytes) were recruited. Neophytes were fitted with a daily disposable (DD) nelfilcon A CL, which they wore for three consecutive days. Both groups then attended study visits on five consecutive days. At the first visit, all participants wore their CLs (>4 hours wear), after which CL wear was discontinued for the remainder of the study. Ocular surface mucin levels were assessed at each visit using 5% fluorescent wheat germ agglutinin (F-WGA) and a custom fluorescence imaging system, with higher fluorescence indicating greater mucin density. Changes in fluorescence after CL cessation were analyzed to compare mucin recovery between groups.
 

Results: 
Across visits, fluorescence typically peaked at 5 minutes post-FWGA application and diminished by 30 minutes. Fluorescence varied by ocular surface region (highest on the bulbar conjunctiva and lowest on the cornea, p<0.0001). Minimal differences were observed between habitual and neophyte CL wearers across study visits (p>0.05). However, neophytes exhibited subtle reductions in fluorescence in the superior (p=0.01) and nasal conjunctiva (p=0.01) immediately following cessation of CL wear.
 

Conclusion: 
Neophytes showed a slight regional reduction in fluorescence following F-WGA application after three days of lens wear, likely reflecting reduced mucin density. Recovery patterns were difficult to detect, with no significant difference between groups.  This could be due to the lack of mucin recovery or methodological limitations. F-WGA has proven to be a valuable fluorescent marker for assessing mucin abundance on the ocular surface. Further research is needed to determine its utility in exploring the aetiology of CL-related discomfort, dry eye disease, and other clinical outcomes.
 

Acknowledgement: 
The study was funded by CooperVision Inc.