Evidence Hub

Base curves of bandage contact lenses and their effects on post Trans-PRK vision and pain: the study protocol for a randomized clinical trial

Tong G, Jin Y, Zhou H, Jin Y

Trials, 2025

1 citation

Abstract

Background: Transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (Trans-PRK) is an effective and safe laser surgery for myopia. Following this procedure, a bandage contact lens is used to promote epithelial healing, reduce postoperative pain, and improve visual recovery. The base curve of these lenses may affect vision post-surgery, particularly in patients with steep corneas and high myopia. This study aims to investigate the impact of using bandage contact lenses with base curves of 8.4 mm versus 8.8 mm on visual recovery after Trans-PRK in patients with steep corneas and high myopia.

Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, binocularly controlled, single-center trial. The study subjects are myopic patients scheduled for Trans-PRK. Both eyes in each patient will be treated consecutively with single-step Trans-PRK. After surgery, a contact lens with an 8.8-mm base curve will be placed on one eye, and a lens with an 8.4-mm base curve will be placed on the other. The primary objective is to determine the difference in early postoperative uncorrected visual acuity between the two eyes of patients with steep corneas and high myopia. Randomization will be conducted using a computer-generated random allocation sequence without blocks or restrictions. The sequence will be recorded in sealed opaque envelopes, maintained by the principal investigator until the trial's conclusion. In this double-masked trial, subjects will not know which treatment each eye receives.

Discussion: This novel…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free