Healthy Contact Lens Behaviors Communicated by Eye Care Providers and Recalled by Patients - United States, 2018.

Publisher: U.S. Centers for Disease Control Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7802429 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-861X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01492195 NLM ISO Abbreviation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Atlanta, GA : U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Original Publication: [Atlanta] U. S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control.

Contact Lenses*/adverse effects ; Health Behavior* ; Health Communication* ; Mental Recall* ; Physician-Patient Relations*; Ophthalmologists/*psychology ; Patient Education as Topic/*statistics & numerical data; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Eye Infections/epidemiology ; Female ; Health Care Surveys ; Health Risk Behaviors ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; United States/epidemiology ; Young Adult

An estimated 45 million U.S. residents enjoy the benefits of contact lens wear, but many of them might be at increased risk for complications stemming from improper wear and care behaviors (1). One of the most serious complications of contact lens wear is a corneal infection known as microbial keratitis, which can sometimes result in reduced vision or blindness (2). In 2014, 50% of contact lens wearers reported ever sleeping in contact lenses, and 55% reported topping off* their contact lens solutions (3), which put them at greater risk for a contact lens-related eye infection (2,4). Data on communication between eye care providers and contact lens wearers on contact lens wear and care recommendations are limited. Two surveys were conducted to better understand and assess contact lens education about nine recommendations: the first assessed contact lens wearer experiences regarding recommendations received from eye care providers during their most recent appointment; the second evaluated provider-reported practices for communicating contact lens wear and care recommendations to their patients. One third (32.9%) of contact lens wearers aged ≥18 years recalled never hearing any lens wear and care recommendations. Fewer than half (47.9%) recalled hearing their provider recommend not sleeping in lenses at their last visit, and 19.8% recalled being told to avoid topping off their contact lens solution. A majority of providers reported sharing recommendations always or most of the time at initial visits, regular checkups, and complication-related visits. Providers reported sharing nearly all recommendations more frequently at initial and complication-related visits than at regular checkups. Of the nine recommendations for safe contact lens wear and care, eye care providers at regular checkups most often recommend complying with the recommended lens replacement schedules (85% of regular visits), not sleeping in lenses (79.0% of regular visits), and not topping off solutions (64.4% of regular visits). Eye care providers play an important role in the health of their contact lens-wearing patients and can share health communication messages with their patients to help educate them about healthy wear and care habits. These findings can assist in the creation of health communication messages to help encourage eye care providers to communicate more effectively with their patients.
Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. CDC receives an annual contribution from the Contact Lens Institute to support CDC’s Healthy Contact Lens Program. The Contact Lens Institute had no involvement in the preparation, analysis of results, drafting, or review of this report. No other conflicts of interest were reported.

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Date Created: 20190816 Date Completed: 20190823 Latest Revision: 20191103

20240105

PMC6818704

10.15585/mmwr.mm6832a2

31415490