ABSTRACT
Purpose: To investigate the impact of different?thickness scleral lenses (SLs) on corneal thickness, curvature, and fluid reservoir thickness in keratoconic eyes. Methods: Schiempflug imaging and AS?OCT was captured before and immediately following 6 h of SL wear. Different?thickness lenses were used while keeping the other parameters the same. The timing of the measurement for day 1 and day 2 was matched to allow for the control of the confounding influence of diurnal variation. Results: Immediately after 6 h of lens wear, no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) was noted in corneal edema in any region and quadrants between thin? and thick?lens wearers. The calculated percentage of corneal edema was also within the range of overnight closed eye physiological swelling. Pentacam measured higher central corneal thickness compared to AS?OCT in both baselines and after 6 h of lens wear. The current investigation reported minimal but not statistically significant (P > 0.05) flattening in anterior and steepening in posterior curvature parameters in both thin and thick SLs. The mean reduction in the fluid reservoir thickness was 80.00 ± 3.99 and 79.36 ± 3.84 microns after 6 h of thin? and thick?lens wear, respectively, which was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.67, P = 0.02) was found between lens thickness and change in anterior steep k with thick?lens wear. Conclusion: Central lens thickness of 200–400 ?m did not cause any significant change in corneal curvature and fluid reservoir thickness and did not induce clinically significant corneal edema after short?term SL wear.