Episodes of microbial keratitis with therapeutic silicone hydrogel bandage soft contact lenses.

Objective: To report the therapeutic practice patterns of silicone hydrogel (SiH) bandage soft contact lenses (BSCL) and the resultant rate of microbial keratitis (MK).

Methods: A retrospective case series of patients treated with therapeutic BSCLs for ocular surface disease from January 2006 to January 2009 in a tertiary care cornea practice. All patients had a history of ocular surface disease.

Results: Seventy-four patients were treated with a therapeutic SiH BSCL (102 intervals of use) for complicated ocular surface disease. Two patients developed infectious corneal infiltrates (2/102, 2.0%) [corrected]. Two of 3 MK episodes were in patients with limbal stem-cell deficiency (2/102, 2.0%).

Conclusions: Therapeutic SiH BSCLs were safely used in most patients. However, results suggest that prophylactic antibiotic use did not eliminate the risk for MK with SiH BSCL use in patients with chronic ocular surface disease.