ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and use of contact lenses by high school female students in Zanjan in 2003. The designed questionnaire was randomly distributed among the high school female students. Then the questionnaire's questions were standardized based on the study. The main sample size was 700. The samples were selected out of seven high schools in Zanjan regarding the geographic distribution. Then the questionnaires were investigated and following the omission of imperfect cases statistical data was analyzed using SPSS software. Out of 700 studied students, 37.7% had the history of using contact lenses, out of whom 4% had used medical lenses, 2.1% chromato- medical lenses and 32.2% chromatic lenses. Only 11% of the students had appropriate knowledge about contact lenses and merely 14% of the students had obtained the lenses through ophthalmologist. 45% of the users suffered from one of ophthalmic complications. Regarding the high prevalence of using contact lenses and their relatively common complications, informing the users through the media seems necessary and the lenses should be prescribed by ophthalomologists