Abstract:AIM: To investigate the efficacy of soft corneal contact lenses combined with autologous serum for postoperative repair of corneal foreign bodies.
METHODS:The prospective study included 102 patients(102 eyes)who were scheduled to undergo corneal foreign body surgery in the hospital from January 2023 to December 2024. The patients were randomly divided into two groups by the random number table method: a control group of 51 patients(51 eyes)who received soft contact lens treatment after surgery and a combination therapy group of 51 patients(51 eyes)who received soft contact lens combined with autologous serum treatment after surgery. Corneal epithelial healing status, visual analog scale(VAS)score, ocular surface disease index(OSDI)score, tear film function, interferon gamma(IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α), and interleukin-17(IL-17)levels, regular morphology of corneal wounds, and the occurrence of complications between two groups of patients were compared.
RESULTS:This study included 102 patients(102 eyes)who completed the full course of treatment and were followed up for 1 mo after surgery. There were 30 males and 21 females in the combination therapy group, with an age range of 20-64 y(mean age 40.89±5.86 y), with an average depth of 0.21±0.04 mm for foreign bodies embedded in the cornea. There were 32 males and 19 females in the control group, with an age range of 21-63 y(mean age 41.22±5.81 y). All 102 patients completed the full course of treatment and were followed up for 1 mo after surgery, with no cases lost to follow-up or dropped out. There were 32 males and 19 females in the control group, with an age range of 21-63 y and a mean age of 41.22±5.81 y. The average depth of foreign body embedding in the cornea was 0.22±0.03 mm(P>0.05). The total effective rate of the combination therapy group was higher than that of the control group(all P<0.05). The postoperative corneal epithelial healing time in the combination therapy group was shorter than that in the control group(4.15±0.66 vs 5.07±0.79 d, P<0.05). The VAS and OSDI scores of the combination therapy group were lower than those of the control group on postoperative days 1 and 7(both P<0.05). One month after surgery, the combination therapy group had a higher tear secretion test(SIt)and tear film breakup time(BUT)than the control group(all P<0.05). The levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17 in the tears of the combination therapy group were lower than those of the control group(all P<0.05), and the surface asymmetry index(SAI)and surface regularity index(SRI)of the combination therapy group were lower than those of the control group(all P<0.05). The incidence of complications in the combination therapy group was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).
CONCLUSION:The combination of soft contact lenses and autologous serum can effectively shorten the corneal epithelial healing time, alleviate early postoperative ocular pain and ocular surface discomfort symptoms, improve tear film secretion, stability and other tear film functions, and reduce the levels of local ocular inflammatory factors. Meanwhile, the combined therapy can optimize the regularity and symmetry of the corneal surface after surgery and decrease the incidence of complications. Its overall repair efficacy is superior to that of soft contact lenses alone.
