Clinical Benefits of Amniotic Membrane Contact Lens

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the clinical efficacy of MS-Amnion amniotic membrane contact lenses.Methods: MS-Amnion amniotic membrane contact lenses were placed for 1 week in patients with severe superficial punctate keratitis or corneal epithelial defects that did not respond to medical treatment. Eighteen eyes followed-up for ≥3 months were evaluated in terms of the best-corrected visual acuity, tear break-up time, and corneal sensation and opacity before and after application of the MS-Amnion amniotic membrane contact lens. The success and recurrence rates, and complications during follow-up, were recorded.Results: Out of 18 eyes, 15 (83.3%) healed within 2 weeks without any treatment other than the amniotic membrane; three eyes (16.7%) were unresponsive, and thus underwent temporary amniotic membrane transplantation. Recurrence developed in three eyes (20%). The amniotic membrane contact lens dropped out in five eyes (27.8%) and folded over in two (11.1%). The mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 0.89 to 0.27 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution after 3 months, while the mean corneal opacity decreased from 0.38 to 0.11 after 3 months; the changes were statistically significant. The tear break-up time and corneal sensation also improved, but they were not statistically significant. We encountered no significant complications.Conclusions: The MS-Amnion amniotic membrane contact lenses can heal the amniotic membrane and do not require suturing when applied in the outpatient clinic. This may be beneficial for patients with intractable ocular surface disorders.