Soft contact lens wearers who use hydrogen peroxide solutions may be less likely to complain of comfort issues compared with those who opt for MPS cleaners, new research published in Eye & Contact Lens suggests. The study was supported by an investigator-initiated research grant from Alcon, which offers products in both lens care categories.

Despite the variations in perceived comfort, the retrospective chart review of contact lens complications in soft contact lens wearers didn’t find any differences in the frequency of complications between those using MPS and hydrogen peroxide, says researcher Anna A. Tichenor, OD, PhD, FAAO, ocular surface disease specialist at the Atwater Eye Care Center and assistant scientist at the Indiana University School of Optometry.

“While based on the data from the study, we can’t conclude that hydrogen peroxide users have less risk for severe complications like microbial keratitis,” Dr. Tichenor says. However, the data does suggest that recommending hydrogen peroxide to contact lens patients may reduce the likelihood of contact lens discomfort, she adds. Indeed, contact lens wearers who cleaned their lenses with hydrogen peroxide were less likely to report discomfort with their lenses.

Of the 1,137 contact lens patients in the study— including 670 (59%) MPS and 467 (41%) H₂O₂ users—more than half experienced at least one complication over the three- to five-year study period, although most complications were mild in severity and weren’t vision-threatening. The most common complication was papillae.

In total, 706 (62%) experienced at least one complication (409 in the MPS group and 297 in the H₂O₂ group). Specifically, the researchers observed no difference between the groups in the proportion of patients who experienced at least one complication (MPS: 61%, H₂O₂: 64%).

Additionally, 16 MPS users experienced presumed microbial keratitis compared with nine H₂O₂ users.

“Contact lens discomfort is still a leading cause for discontinuation of contact lens wear, so asking patients at yearly and follow-up exams about comfortable daily wear time is important so we can take action to improve comfort and increase lifetime success of wearing contact lenses,” Dr. Tichenor says.

Tichenor AA, Cofield SS, Gann D, et al. Frequency of contact lens complications between contact lens wearers using multipurpose solutions versus hydrogen peroxide in the United States and Canada. Eye Contact Lens.  December 7, 2020. [Epub ahead of print].