Contact Lens Wearers Don't Comply with Recommended Replacement Schedules

PHILADELPHIA, PA.-04-10- 2009--CIBA Vision recently announced the results of a new study examining replacement schedule compliance. In a study of 1,654 contact lens wearers, 59 percent of two-week replacement silicone hydrogel patients wore their lenses for longer than the manufacturer recommended replacement frequency (MRRF). Comparatively, 29 percent of one-month replacement silicone hydrogel wearers and only 15 percent of daily disposable (DD) wearers wore their lenses for longer than the MRRF. When patients were asked what their eye care practitioner's recommended replacement schedule was, 10 percent of DD, 22 percent of two-week replacement silicone hydrogel and 2 percent of one-month replacement silicone hydrogel wearers reported longer periods than MRRF.
     The study was conducted by the Centre for Contact Lens Research (CCLR) at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in collaboration with David B. Sarwer, PhD, Associate Professor of psychology, psychiatry and surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine.  
     Also in this study, the two most frequent reasons for over-wearing contact lenses were "forgetting which day to replace lenses" (51 percent) and "to save money" (26 percent). Eighteen percent of patients reported that it was only "somewhat important" or "not important" to clean lenses every day, 16 percent replaced their lens case every year and 14 percent never replaced their lens case.
     "CIBA Vision is committed to working with patients and eye care practitioners to encourage greater contact lens compliance for overall eye health and wellness," said Dwight Akerman, OD, FAAO (Dipl), Director of Professional Programs for CIBA Vision North America. "In fact, we are embarking on a comprehensive educational campaign to help eye care practitioners communicate to patients the importance of eye health management through proper contact lens replacement." 

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