Temporal sequence study of the factors affecting corneal edema associated with soft contact lens wear.

The contribution of various factors to the edema associated with soft contact lens wear is considered. Time of wear, individual patient response level, baseline thickness of the cornea, and base curve radius of the contact lens are found by multiple regression analysis to be the most significant contributors to edema. The small but significant contribution of contact lens base curve to edema suggests that some oxygen is supplied to the cornea via a tear pump mechanism.