Patient compliance with contemporary contact lenses: Impact on successful contact lens wear

Purpose: Contact lens (CL) materials, modalities of wear and replacement, and care systems have changed considerably since the early studies of CL compliance were first conducted. Silicone hydrogel (SiHy) and daily disposable (DD) lenses are now the most popular lenses worn worldwide and the care systems that are currently available for them have been designed to be straightforward to use. The purpose of this research was to investigate patient knowledge of and compliance with the use of these contemporary CLs and care products, to determine whether non-compliant CL wearers experience ocular complications relating to lens wear more frequently and are more likely to discontinue lens wear, and to try to determine the factors that may constrain or enable patients to follow recommendations for appropriate lens wear and care. Methods: There are many ways in which compliance can be assessed in health care. Several different methodologies were employed during this research: A questionnaire was administered to just over 100 current lens wearers to determine whether photographic aids would help them to recognize which products they were using. More than 500 contact lens (CL) wearers were recruited by their eye care practitioners (ECPs) and mailed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their compliance with contact lens wear and care and to determine whether they had experienced any contact lens related complications which may have occurred as a result of non-compliance. Close to 5000 Current and lapsed CL wearers in Canada were recruited using Facebook to take part in an on line survey investigating CL wearing experiences during 2008 – 2010 and to establish the percentage of participants who temporarily and permanently discontinued CL wear during the period surveyed, the reasons for discontinuation and whether compliance with lens wear and care may have played a role. ECPs and patients independently completed more than 2000 linked questionnaires evaluating their contact lens wear and care. In addition the frequency with which patients attended their ECP’s office for eye examinations was assessed to determine whether there was a relationship between this and their patients’ compliance. More than 800 daily disposable contact lens (DDCL) wearers in four countries completed an online questionnaire designed to investigate how frequently they reused their lenses, the reasons for reuse and how the lenses were stored between uses. Quantitative (online questionnaire) and qual