Effect of Contact Lens Power on Optic Disc Parameters Measured with Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of spherical contact lens (CL) power on optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements of optic nerve head (ONH) parameters in healthy subjects.

Methods: Fifteen subjects without ocular disease underwent ONH analysis using OCT. Measurements were obtained without and with soft CL of different spherical powers (−10 diopters (D), −4 D, +4 D, +10 D). The following parameters were measured and statistically analyzed: vertical disc and cup diameters; cup area, disc area, rim area; area cup-to-disc (C/D) ratio, as well as horizontal and vertical C/D ratio.

Results: Subject age was 30.5 ± 3.2 years (mean ± SD). Eight right and 7 left eyes were studied. Mean refractive error (spherical equivalent) was −3.9 ± 4.7 D. Without CL, median (first, third quartiles) vertical disc and cup diameters were 1.83 (1.69, 1.96) mm and 0.74 (0.58, 1.11) mm, respectively. Cup area was 0.72 (0.56, 1.17) mm², disc area was 2.30 (2.10, 2.72) mm², and rim area was 1.49 (1.23, 1.75) mm². Area C/D ratio was 0.35 (0.23, 0.46), horizontal C/D ratio was 0.58 (0.49, 0.73), and vertical C/D ratio was 0.56 (0.47, 0.63). There was no systematic effect of CL power on these parameters.

Conclusions: Spherical CL power does not appear to affect measurements of ONH parameters using OCT.

• Optical coherence tomography
• contact lenses
• refractive error
• optic disc
• glaucoma