Contact lenses prescribed for longer replacement intervals can lead to undesirable clinical outcomes

Nov 12 2009

Contact lenses prescribed for longer replacement intervals can lead to more extreme over wear (stretching) that could lead to undesirable clinical effects, new research shows.

More than half of frequent replacement contact lens wearers surveyed say they are not compliant with their prescribed replacement schedule, whether wearing a two-week or monthly lens. The findings were presented today at The American Academy of Optometry meeting.

About the Study

A random sample of 645 frequent replacement contact lens wearers answered questions relating to lens replacement frequency, using an online, sponsor-masked survey. The respondents represented wearers of hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses available in the United States that are prescribed for two-week or monthly replacement.

About four-in-ten (43%) wearers of lenses prescribed by their eye doctor for two-week replacement reported that they replaced their lenses as prescribed. Sixty-five percent replaced them at three weeks; 85 percent within four weeks, four percent at eight weeks or more, and two percent at ten weeks or more.

Only about one-third (36%) of wearers of lenses prescribed for monthly replacement reported that they replaced their lenses as prescribed. Over half (55 %) replaced them at five weeks, 23 percent at eight weeks or more, and 14 percent at ten weeks or more.

"The most surprising finding from this research is the percentage of patients who admitted to stretching lens replacement to eight weeks or more," says study author Sheila Hickson-Curran, BSc (Hons), MCOptom, FAAO, Director of Medical Affairs, VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. "Monthly lens wearers were about three times as likely as two-week wearers to go up to eight weeks before changing their lenses. Contact lens prescribers need to continually reinforce the importance of replacement compliance and educate patients about how over wear can impact lens comfort, vision performance, and ocular health."