Treatment of corneal abrasions with soft contact lenses and topical diclofenac.

Background: Treatment of corneal abrasions often involves antibiotic ointment and pressure patching. The corneal abrasions following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy have been managed with disposable soft contact lenses and diclofenac (Voltaren) eye drops.
Methods: We report 13 patients with corneal abrasions from trauma or recurrent corneal erosions treated with application of a disposable soft contact lens and instillation of diclofenac and antibiotic eye drops.
Results: All 13 patients reported significant pain relief and all abrasions healed within 3 days (most within 24 hours). Two of the recurrent erosion patients suffered subsequent spontaneous abrasions and one of the traumatic abrasion patients developed a possible infectious keratitis which cleared without visual loss.
Conclusions: In this small series, the combination of a disposable soft contact lens and the instillation of diclofenac drops provided significant pain relief while the abrasion healed and allowed the patients to function with binocular vision. This treatment regimen offers an alternative to pressure patching in the treatment of corneal abrasions.