In the rabbit model, overnight contact lens wear significantly downregulated spontaneous epithelial surface cell death independent of lens rigidity or material oxygen transmissibility. These effects were similar to eyelid closure without lens wear. Taken together, these results suggest that eyelid closure and the physical presence of the contact lens may protect against the shear stress forces exerted by eyelid blinking, which are believed to cause central surface cell death and subsequent exfoliation.
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