A new study compared the use of antihistamine-releasing contact lenses to daily disposable soft contact lenses for reducing symptoms and delaying the need for anti-allergy eye drops.
“Hay fever is highly and increasingly prevalent and estimated to affect approximately 25% of the global population. Ocular irritation and increased lacrimation due to seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC) frequently cause eye discomfort during contact lens (CL) use and are common reasons for CL discontinuation during symptomatic periods,” researchers noted in their recently published study in Heliyon. "Aggressive preventive measures and treatment regimens are essential when managing SAC.”
The web-based retrospective cohort study surveyed 24 participants with a history of SAC who regularly used daily disposable soft contact lenses (DSCLs). The participants were divided into 2 groups: 17 who used DSCLs and 7 who used antihistamine-releasing contact lenses (ARCLs). The mean age for participants was 32.8 years old and 83.3% were women. Of the total participants, 62.5% reported taking oral anti-allergy medication during hay fever season.
Data on ocular symptoms and the initiation of anti-allergy eye drop treatment were collected and analyzed. The total ocular symptom score (TOSS) was calculated based on a 5-item questionnaire that addressed symptoms including itchy eyes, foreign body sensation, red eyes, watery eyes, and eye discharge.
In 2022, 85.7% of ARCL users showed improvement in their TOSS scores compared to 2021, with no users experiencing a worsening. Conversely, 52.9% of DSCL users had either worsening or unchanged TOSS scores. ARCL users also experienced a significant reduction in TOSS from 2021 to 2022 compared to DSCL users, and had a significantly longer delay before requiring anti-allergy eye drops compared to DSCL users (median 57 days to initiation of eye drops versus median 19 days to initiation of eye drops).
ARCLs offer several benefits, including avoiding the harmful effects of preservatives like benzalkonium chloride found in eye drops, which can damage conjunctival and corneal cells. Instead, ARCLs maintain a protective aqueous layer between the lens and cornea, allowing medication to stay on the ocular surface longer without being quickly drained by tears. The study also suggests that starting treatment before allergy season may be advantageous for allergy sufferers, as indicated by the timing of drop initiation with ARCL use.
Despite limitations that can be explored in future research, ARCLs were found to effectively reduce ocular symptoms and delay the need for additional anti-allergy treatments in patients with SAC during high-pollen seasons. The ARCLs' built-in drug delivery system provides a continuous release of antihistamines that not only reduces the ocular surface's exposure to allergens and patient reliance on topical anti-allergy medications, but also decreases the severity of symptoms while improving patient comfort.
A full list of author disclosures can be found in the published research