Twelve years' continuous wear of the same therapeutic soft contact lens: a case report

Purpose. To describe a case of a patient who had worn the same therapeutic soft contact lens (TSCL) continuously for twelve years, since he had failed to attend normal follow-up visits. Methods. Microbiological histological and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies of conjunctiva, cornea and TSCL were done. Results. Cultures were negative. Corneal histology revealed mild stromal edema and mild epithelial parakeratosis. Corneal SEM was remarkable for the preservation to some extent of normal corneal epithelial specialization with microtricae and microvillae. SEM of the TSCL showed a ruffed multi-layer surface with several cracks including different types of cells. Conclusions. The patient showed surprising tolerance to the continuous wear of the same contact lens for 12 years.