Raman Analysis of Tear Fluid Alteration Following Contact Lense Use

Abstract

Tear fluid is a heterogeneous solution containing mainly proteins, lipids, mucins and electrolytes, which regulates the physiology of the human eye. The complex composition of tears can be altered in the presence of eye inflammations. The use of contact lenses is one of the most frequent causes of inflammatory responses of the eye, with the related discomfort often causing the wearer to give up using them. In this paper, we exploit the potentiality of Raman Spectroscopy to analyse the biochemical changes in tear fluid in a contact lens wearer. In particular, we analysed the tear fluid collected from a volunteer as a function of the wearing time for two types of monthly contact lenses (Hydrogel and Si-Hydrogel). Our experimental results show an alteration of the relative concentrations of proteins and lipids in both of the analysed cases. More importantly, our results highlight the diagnostic sensitivity of Raman analysis to select the proper contact lens type for each wearer and optimise the lens wearing conditions.