Reliability of Tear Meniscus Height Measurements in Contact Lens Wearers and Its Relationship With Discomfort Symptoms

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the reliability and agreement of tear meniscus height (TMH) measurements performed with a corneal analyzer and optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology in contact lens (CL) wearers and its correlation with contact lens discomfort symptoms. Methods: Asymptomatic and symptomatic CL wearers classified through the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 were evaluated with the Corneal Analyzer (Topcon CA-800) and OCT technology (Topcon 3D OCT-2000). The repeatability and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated. The agreement between devices was calculated using the Bland–Altman method. The relationship between TMH measurements and the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 and Contact Lens Discomfort Index scores was assessed through the Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: Seventy-nine asymptomatic and 42 symptomatic CL wearers aged 34.24±12.50 years were enrolled. The repeatability values obtained for the CA-800 were 0.07 mm in all cases, and the ICC was 0.93 for the whole sample. The CA-800 provided significantly (P<0.01) higher TMH values than the OCT for the whole sample (0.22±0.08 vs. 0.17±0.06 mm). A weak indirect correlation (ρ=−0.22) between the OCT TMH measurement and Contact Lens Discomfort Index scores was found (P≤0.04). Conclusion: The CA-800 provides reliable TMH measurements during CL wear; however, they might not be interchangeable with OCT ones. Tear meniscus height measurements might be useful as a complementary sign to detect CL discomfort, but it cannot be used alone as a diagnostic tool.