COMPLIANCE WITH CONTACT lens care and handling is essential. Effective and recurrent communication between the practitioner and patient is imperative for success.

According to the British Contact Lens Association’s Contact Lens Evidence-Based Academic Report, during routine aftercare visits it is imperative to reiterate the purpose of the visit and the importance of compliance (Wolffsohn et al, 2021). Issues to be addressed are lens application and removal, proper handwashing with soap and drying hands, lens replacement, not sleeping in contact lenses, cleaning and replacement of lens case, correct use of lens care systems, lens purchase and supply, and following the practitioner’s recommendations.

Although some practitioners do a great job of educating patients on proper care and handling, there is tremendous opportunity to improve compliance in contact lens wearers. New and established patients, those who wear contact lenses for either cosmetic or medical purposes, and those who wear lenses full time or occasionally all need to be informed about the importance of contact lens compliance.

STUDY RESULTS

In an online questionnaire study of 266 university student contact lens wearers in Spain, the majority (64.9%) of students stated that they had not been advised about the possible risks (García-Ayuso et al, 2022). Only 20% of students were compliant with aftercare visits. Even though water is contraindicated in contact lens wear, 42.1% of students reported exposing their lenses to water frequently.

Unfortunately, those who wore contact lenses longer were more likely to expose their lenses to water and have contact lens-related complications. Additionally, there was a correlation between an increased rate of water exposure with contact lenses and contact lens-related adverse events. Fortunately, those who were given proper education attended aftercare visits more often.

The study showed that most university student contact lens wearers exhibited noncompliance with recommended lens wear and care. The authors recommend delivering accurate and thorough guidelines for lens care, stressing the importance of attending aftercare visits to reduce potential contact lens-related complications, and that lens wearers should be given unambiguous, well-defined guidelines to avoid the exposure of contact lenses and their cases to water.

Another study evaluated the type of information and content available on various aspects of lens wear and maintenance, how this information was provided to patients, and if practical demonstrations were conducted in office (Alonso et al, 2022). Surveys were completed by 321 practitioners with a median of 20 years of contact lens fitting experience. Practitioners from independent practices, national chains, and regional chains responded to the survey. Education habits were associated with practice type.

Generally, at each visit, 28% of participants did not educate patients to rub contact lenses, did not review contact lens replacement (34.3%), and did not clarify hygiene and replacement for storage cases (6.8%) (Alonso et al, 2022). Having the patient demonstrate how they perform their care routine helps to improve compliance. In the study about aftercare visits, only 8.4% of respondents said they ask patients to demonstrate their care routines.

The information given to patients was mainly given orally or in writing and orally. Complications associated with lens wear were stated more frequently by respondents with less training, those whose practitioners did not always recommend rubbing, and those who were not given written information about lens case hygiene and replacement.

The authors stated that clear, written information about proper contact lens care and hygiene, including rubbing and storage case hygiene and replacement, may improve adherence and reduce contact lens complications and dropout. CLS

REFERENCES

1. Wolffsohn JS, Dumbleton K, Huntjens B, et al. BCLA CLEAR - Evidence-based contact lens practice. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2021 Apr;44(2):368-397.
2. García-Ayuso D, Moya-Rodríguez E, Valiente-Soriano FJ, Galindo-Romero C, Sobrado-Calvo P, Di Pierdomenico J. University students fail to comply with contact lens care. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2022 Apr;45(2):101411.
3. Alonso S, Yela S, Cardona G. Are Patients Sufficiently Informed about Contact Lens Wear and Care? Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Dec 1;99(12):853-858.