Myopia, contact lens use and self-esteem

Purpose To evaluate whether contact lens (CL) use was associated with self‐esteem in myopic children originally enrolled in the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial (COMET), that after 5 years continued as an observational study of myopia progression with CL use permitted. Methods Usable data at the 6‐year visit, one year after CL use was allowed (n = 423/469, age 12–17 years), included questions on CL use, refractive error measurements and self‐reported self‐esteem in several areas (scholastic/athletic competence, physical appearance, social acceptance, behavioural conduct and global self‐worth). Self‐esteem, scored from 1 (low) to 4 (high), was measured by the Self‐Perception Profile for Children in participants under 14 years or the Self‐Perception Profile for Adolescents, in those 14 years and older. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between self‐esteem and relevant factors identified by univariate analyses (e.g., CL use, gender, ethnicity), while adjusting for baseline self‐esteem prior to CL use. Results Mean (±S.D.) self‐esteem scores at the 6‐year visit (mean age = 15.3 ± 1.3 years; mean refractive error = −4.6 ± 1.5 D) ranged from 2.74 (± 0.76) on athletic competence to 3.33 (± 0.53) on global self‐worth. CL wearers (n = 224) compared to eyeglass wearers (n = 199) were more likely to be female (p