Etiology of corneal striae accompanying hydrogel lens wear.

Vertical striae in the posterior cornea were produced experimentally in ten human subjects by depriving the anterior corneal surface of its normal oxygen supply and inducing corneal edema. These striae were similar in appearance and time of occurrence to those observed in gel lens wearers. Three subjects also wore gel lenses and developed vertical striae while wearing their lenses. These striae were eliminated by increasing the oxygen concentration at the anterior lens surface. The data confirm many clinical observations which have suggested that verical striae are caused by corneal edema accompanying gel lens wear.