USE OF CONTACT-LENSES BY FIREFIGHTERS .2. CLINICAL-EVALUATION

Contact lenses can be worn in a variety of environmental conditions an d do not increase the wearers risk of injury. In many situations they offer significant corneal protection. Currently firefighters are prohi bited from using contact lenses. To evaluate whether contact lenses ar e a safe form of visual correction 50 firefighters were fitted, and ex amined after 1, 4 and 10 months of contact lens wear. Twenty-nine were fitted with soft contact lenses, and 21 with rigid gas permeable cont act lenses. Statistically significant increase in lid sulcus hyperaemi a was found in both the SCL and RGPCL groups (P < 0.01, P = 0.02, resp ectively), as well as an increase in hyperaemia of the vertical quadra nt of the bulbar conjunctivae (P = 0.01, P = 0.02, respectively). In a ddition the RGPCL group showed a statistically significant increase in hyperaemia of the lateral portion of the bulbar conjunctivae (P < 0.0 1), consistent with exposure epitheliopathy. The SCL group showed stat istically significant increase in corneal staining in the vertical qua drant for all visits (P = 0.02, P = 0.01, P = 0.02 for all visits, res pectively), indicative of lens dehydration. These findings although cl inically significant are not unique to firefighting, and are found wit hin a ''normal'' population of contact lens wearers. In conjunction wi th questionnaire data (Owen et ai., 1996) we conclude that soft contac t lenses can be worn safely by firefighters without additional risk. ( C) 1997 The College of Optometrists.