Effect of patient personality profile and verbal presentation on successful rigid contact lens adaptation, satisfaction and compliance

Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses have numerous benefits, including quality of vision, ocular health, and reduction of myopic progression in young people. Nevertheless, RGP lens use is not increasing in the United States. It is possible that certain patient personality characteristics and/or how a practitioner presents RGP lenses to a new patient may affect satisfaction and success. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of individual patient's personality and the practitioner's method of presenting RGP lenses to new patients on their ability to adapt to these lenses. Forty-nine subjects, all noncontact lens wearers, were entered into this 1-month study, which was conducted at both the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry and the Pacific University College of Optometry. All subjects initially completed standardized questionnaires pertaining to locus of control, openness to new experiences, and motivation/expectations. After diagnostic fitting with a RGP lens material, the subjects were placed into one of the following three groups: (1) Fear-Arousing Non-Enthused; (2) Neutral Content Non-Enthused; or (3) Neutral Content Enthused. They observed one of three video presentations on RGP lens wear. Subjects submitted daily questionnaires providing their evaluation of such factors as comfort, wearing time, and handling. The results showed that there was a significant difference (chi(2) = 6.99; p < 0.05) among the different groups in the number of dropouts: 6/19 with the Fear-Arousing Non-Enthused group, 2/17 with the Neutral Content Non-Enthused group, and 0/13 with the Neutral Content Enthused group. There was also a significant difference (ANOVA F = 4.1, p < 0.05) among the groups on compliance, with the Neutral Content Enthused group demonstrating greater compliance. In terms of satisfaction, there was no significant difference among presentation groups. It was concluded that the method of presentation is important for successful RGP contact lens wear. If presented with genuine interest and a positive and realistic attitude, patients are more likely to succeed in RGP lens wear during the initial critical period.