Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39825685›Full record

ArticleOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2025

Quantifying tear exchange during rigid contact lens wear using corneoscleral profilometry: A proof of concept study.

Asif Iqbal, Damien Fisher, David Alonso-Caneiro, Michael J Collins, Stephen J Vincent

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Scleral Lens Fenestrations and Fluid Reservoir Debris.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026
    Article
  2. Tear Dynamics During Fenestrated Scleral Lens Wear: A Pilot Study.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Quantifying tear exchange during rigid contact lens wear using corneoscleral profilometry: A proof of concept study.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Asif IqbalContact Lens and Visual Optics Laboratory, Optometry and Vision Science, Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5095-1248
Damien FisherContact Lens and Visual Optics Laboratory, Optometry and Vision Science, Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4413-5196
David Alonso-CaneiroContact Lens and Visual Optics Laboratory, Optometry and Vision Science, Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7754-6592
Michael J CollinsContact Lens and Visual Optics Laboratory, Optometry and Vision Science, Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5226-5498
Stephen J VincentContact Lens and Visual Optics Laboratory, Optometry and Vision Science, Centre for Vision and Eye Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5998-1320

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionTear exchange during contact lens wear is essential for ocular surface integrity, facilitating debris removal, and maintaining corneal metabolism. Fluorophotometry and fluorogram methods are typically used to measure tear exchange, which require hardware modifications to a slit lamp biomicroscope. This manuscript introduces an alternative method using a corneoscleral profilometer, the Eye Surface Profiler (ESP), to quantify tear exchange during corneal and scleral rigid lens wear by assessing fluorescence intensity changes over time.

methodsAs a proof of concept, a healthy participant wore a corneal and a scleral rigid lens on separate days. After lens application, 2% sodium fluorescein was instilled, and ESP images were captured at intervals over a 30-min period for corneal and a 90-min period for the scleral lens. Fluorescence intensity data were extracted and analysed using MATLAB, restricted to a region of interest centred on the contact lens. The fluorescence intensity was fitted with an exponential decay curve to quantify tear exchange.

resultsFluorescence intensity decreased over time for both lenses, with a faster decay rate being observed for the corneal lens. The scleral lens showed an initial ingress of fluorescein into the fluid reservoir, then a slow decay in fluorescence intensity due to limited tear exchange. The decay rate for the corneal lens was approximately four times faster than the scleral lens, with the time to reach 50% decay of ~42 min for the corneal lens compared to ~157 min for the scleral lens.

conclusionA new method was developed to quantify tear exchange using a commercially available corneoscleral profilometer, offering a wider field of view than existing techniques. This approach has clinical potential in scleral lens practice for identifying landing zone misalignment and improving the understanding of post-lens tear dynamics, particularly in cases involving scleral lens modifications or patients experiencing midday fogging.

Indexed as

Contact LensesCorneaScleraTearsAdultFemaleFluorophotometryHealthy VolunteersHumansMaleProof of Concept Studycontact lensfluorescenceprofilometertear exchange

Identifiers

PMID39825685
PMCPMC11976501

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.