Clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of limbal-supported contact lens wear for ocular sequelae due to Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis.

PURPOSE: To analyze the therapeutic benefits of limbal-supported contact lens (CL) wear in patients with ocular sequelae due to Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). METHODS: This interventional study enrolled 10 chronic SJS/TEN eyes with a spectacle best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of between 0.01 and 0.7 that were fitted with a limbal-supported CL. At baseline and at after 3-months CL use, CL-wear BCVA and the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) scores were measured, and then compared. Incidence rates and severities of adverse events were also analyzed. RESULTS: At after 3-months CL use, BCVA with the fitted CL significantly improved compared to that with spectacle correction at baseline (LogMAR: 0.76-0.15) (P = 0.0039), all NEI VFQ-25 scores improved, however, only in ocular pain and mental health showed statistically significant improvement (P = 0.0078 and 0.0039). No serious adverse events were observed during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Wearing of the limbal-supported CL improved vision compared to spectacles and reduced ocular pain in patients with ocular sequelae due to SJS/TEN.