INTERNATIONAL CONTACT LENS PRESCRIBING IN 2024

THIS REPORT CONTINUES OUR SERIES of annual survey updates that have appeared in Contact Lens Spectrum since 2001. This long-standing project is coordinated by a group of optometry, ophthalmology, and industry colleagues who manage the collection of data in their own countries or regions. The intent is to replicate the conduct of data collection in each country, with each reporting eyecare professional (optometrist, optician, or ophthalmologist, depending on local regulations) providing information about 10 contact lens fits conducted after the start of the project each year. Data are collected via paper surveys or an online form.

Over the course of the project, data from more than 450,000 fits have been collected from 71 countries, including 20 markets for which data relating to at least 16 years are available. Information is received for the following attributes of each prospectively conducted contact lens fit: age and gender of the patient; lens material, design, replacement frequency, and wearing modality; the anticipated usage of the lenses (as days per week); and care system prescribed. By examining the dates of the reported lens fits, a weighting system is employed to reflect the volume of fits undertaken by each respondent.

KEY WEARER INFORMATION

In 2024, data for 100 contact lens fits or more were received for 19 markets (Table 1). Information was received for six further markets, but the low number of fits reported precludes inclusion in this annual report. In total, 10,716 fits were analyzed across the included markets, with the highest number for Japan as in many previous years (1,802 fits). The average age at fitting was 34.1 ± 15.6 years (mean ± standard deviation) with 65% of fits to females. Thirty-eight percent of lenses were described as “new fits” (to patients who had no recent contact lens experience) and 11% were prescribed to be used on a part-time basis (three days per week of wear or fewer).

Table 1. Demographic information for all surveyed markets reporting at least 100 fits.

Table 2 shows information for each reported market when divided across seven major lens categories. Soft lenses account for 89% of lens fits, with rigid lenses (11%) accounting for the remainder. Daily disposable soft lenses accounted for 40% of lens fits reported for 2024, with reusable daily wear lenses slightly higher at 47% of fits. Figure 1 shows the change in these major categories of lens prescribing since 1997. The major change over this time has been in the uptake of silicone hydrogel (SiHy) materials in both the daily disposable and reusable soft lens categories.

Table 2. Breakdown of all lens fits into seven key categories of lenses.

Figure 1. Contact lens prescribing across all surveyed markets from 1997. Data are three-year moving averages. EW, extended wear; DW, daily wear; DD, daily disposable; SiHy, silicone hydrogel; OK, orthokeratology

RIGID CORNEAL AND SCLERAL LENSES

Rigid lens prescribing information is provided for the nine markets reporting at least 35 lens fits in 2024 (Table 3). A key change in recent years has been the increase in use of scleral lenses. Figure 2 shows the use of rigid corneal and scleral lenses since 2000. Overall, rigid lens fitting fell between the start of the century and 2013, from which point there has been increasing use of such lenses, primarily driven by a growing scleral lens sector. Within corneal lenses, high-Dk materials were the most widely prescribed in 2024 (39%). Spherical lenses were the most prescribed rigid lens design (44%), followed by torics (27%). Around half of rigid lenses (47%) were prescribed on a planned replacement basis.

Table 3. Detailed information for all prescribed rigid lenses only. See Table 1 for country abbreviations for countries providing 2024 data [in addition, Denmark (DK), France (FR), Lithuania (LT), and Mexico MX)]. Dk, oxygen permeability; PMMA, polymethyl methacrylate

Figure 2. Rigid lens prescribing from 2000 to 2024, presented as corneal and scleral lenses.

SOFT LENSES

SiHy materials accounted for 81% of soft lenses prescribed in 2024 (Table 4); however, the distribution of SiHy lenses versus conventional hydrogels is dependent on replacement interval. For example, Figure 3 shows the proportion of SiHy materials used for daily disposables (46% of lenses prescribed in 2024) and monthly-replaced lenses (39%).

Figure 3. Proportion of silicone hydrogel materials used for daily disposable and monthly-replaced lenses. Data are three-year moving averages.

The increase in the use of these materials for monthly-replaced lenses is notable because it did not occur immediately after the launch of these materials between 1999 and 2001, but some years later; specifically, it followed the release of the first SiHy lenses marketed for daily wear between 2004 to 2005. For the past few years, SiHys have settled at around 80% of monthly-replaced lenses. SiHy daily disposables were not available until later in that same decade, and the use of SiHy lenses for daily replacement lagged behind that of monthly lenses, with current difference in usage being about 10%.

In 2024, spherical lenses accounted for 43% of soft lens fits, with torics at about one-third of fits. Multifocals and monovision were the next most widely prescribed products (19% and 3%, respectively). However, it is perhaps most relevant to consider how these presbyopia-correcting options have been used for patients aged 45 and older (defined as presbyopes for the purpose of this work).

Figure 4 shows the overall use of these designs in presbyopes for selected markets from 2020 to 2024. There is considerable variation between markets with more than 70% of presbyopes—when fitted with contact lenses—prescribed multifocal or monovision lenses in many countries. The cumulative use of multifocal and monovision lenses is much lower in Japan and Taiwan, with a clear majority of presbyopes prescribed single-vision (presumably distance) lenses in these markets.

Figure 4. Prescribing of soft lens multifocals and monovision to presbyopes for markets reporting at least 1,000 fits between 2020 and 2024. See Table 1 for country abbreviations for countries providing 2024 data [in addition, Denmark (DK), France (FR), Lithuania (LT), and Mexico MX)].

Overall, it is evident that multifocals are used much more than monovision. Lenses for myopia control across all age groups accounted for about 2% of soft lens fits overall.

Only 2% of soft lenses were prescribed for extended wear, with SiHy materials used in the vast majority of such cases. The use of extended wear from 2020 to 2024 in selected markets is shown in Figure 5. Lithuania is a clear outlier here, with about one-quarter of all soft lenses prescribed for extended wear. Other markets with a high rate of extended wear include Bulgaria, the Philippines, and Norway, with some markets (including France, Japan, and Taiwan) prescribing almost zero extended wear lenses. Multipurpose products were prescribed for 92% of soft contact lens wearers when a solution was needed.

Figure 5. Extended wear fits for markets reporting at least 1,000 fits between 2020 and 2024. See Table 1 for country abbreviations for countries providing 2024 data [in addition, Denmark (DK), France (FR), Lithuania (LT), and Mexico MX)].

SUPPORT

Funding and/or assistance was provided for the following markets: Australia – Optometry Australia; Bulgaria – Vision Protect Ltd; Greece and Israel – Johnson & Johnson Vision; Netherlands – Dutch Association of Contact Lens Suppliers; Spain – Spanish General Council of the Colleges of Opticians-Optometrists. The authors acknowledge the administrative support of Eurolens Research, University of Manchester, and the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo.

LYNDON JONES, PHD, DSC, FCOPTOM, is the director of Eurolens Research at the University of Manchester.

CRAIG A. WOODS, PHD, MCOPTOM, is a conjoint professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, in Sydney.

IOANNIS G. TRANOUDIS, DO, MSC, PHD, is senior director, Professional Education Solutions (Europe, Middle East, & Africa) at Johnson & Johnson Vision.

NATHAN EFRON, AC, DSC, PHD, is an emeritus professor of optometry at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

LYNDON JONES, PHD, DSC, FCOPTOM, is the director of the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

PAULA FACCIA, PHD, is an assistant researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research and professor of optometry and contactology at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

DORIS RIVADENEIRA, OD, IACLE, is a professor of contactology at the Department of Physics at Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina.

CHRISTINA N. GRUPCHEVA, MD, PHD, is head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and vice rector for Innovations and Translational Research at the Medical University-Varna, Bulgaria.

DEBORAH JONES, BSC, FCOPTOM, is a clinical professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

LINA MARÍA RODRÍGUEZ CELY, OD, MS, is a professor of contactology at Galileo University, Fedopto Professional College of Optometry, Colombia.

JACINTO SANTODOMINGO-RUBIDO, OD(EC), MSC, PHD, MCOPTOM, is clinical affairs manager & senior research scientist at Menicon Co. Ltd.

NIR ERDINEST, BOPTOM, PHD, is a lecturer at the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, and chairman of the Israeli Contact Lens Society.

Ali Reza Jafari, OD, MSc, PhD, is a contact lens researcher at the Basir Eye Health Research Center in Tehran, Iran.

GIANCARLO MONTANI, DIPOPTOM, is a professor at the Department of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Salento in Lecce, Italy.

Yuichi Hori is professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Toho University Faculty of Medicine in Tokyo.

JEROEN MULDER, MSC, BOPTOM, is an optometrist at Visser Contactlenzen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

EEF VAN DER WORP, BSC, PHD, runs Eye-Contact-Lens Research & Education consultancy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

TIJL VAN MIERLO is professional relations manager for Bausch + Lomb Vision Care Benelux, based in the Netherlands.

ANN ELISABETH YSTENÆS, BSC, MSCOPTOM, is associate professor at the Department of Optometry, Radiography, and Lighting Design at the University of South-Eastern Norway in Kongsberg, Norway,

JEANETTE ROMUALDEZ-OO, OD, is based in Manila, Philippines.

CARMEN ABESAMIS-DICHOSO, OD, is based in Manila, Philippines, is part of the editorial board for Cookie magazine, and is clinical director of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Program, Asia Pacific Region.

JOSÉ MANUEL GONZÁLEZ-MÉIJOME, OD, PHD, is professor of optometry and vision science at the Clinical and Experimental Optometry Research Laboratory, Center of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities in Portugal.

RUTE J. MACEDO-DE-ARAÚJO, PHD, is with the Clinical and Experimental Optometry Research Laboratory, Center of Physics of Minho and Porto Universities in Portugal.

OSKAR JOHANSSON, BSC, is a lecturer in the Department of Medicine and Optometry, Section of Optometry and Vision Science at Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden.

JOHN HSIAO, BA, OD, is an associate professor at the Department of Optometry at Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan.

JASON J. NICHOLS, OD, MPH, PhD, is senior associate vice president for research and a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, editor-in-chief of Contact Lens Spectrum, and editor of Contact Lenses Today.

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