Survey of Contact Lens Care Among Contact Lens Wearers in Kuala Lumpur / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Contact lenses are optical device that are supposedly safe to be used to correct refractive errors as well as for cosmetic purposes. However problems related to eye health do occur as result of contact lens wearers’ attitude of not following the guidelines prescribed by their eye care practitioners. A clinical survey on lens care was carried out amongst contact lens wearers in Kuala Lumpur. It was based on a set of 22 questions focused on lens care including methods of cleaning and disinfection, enzyme treatments, use of rewetting agents and the frequency of follow-up examinations. In addition there were six questions included to explore wearers’ knowledge related to contact lens care and safety. A total of 104 wearers participated in the survey. About 86% of them were females and their mean age was 24 ± 6 years. More than half of them wore disposable lenses. Almost all of them (98%) use chemical disinfection system. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of wearers surveyed cleaned their lenses prior to and after wearing their lenses. Thirty percent (30%) of wearers used re-wetting agents and 40% used protein tablets. Sixty-one percent (61%) of them said that they never went back for aftercare examinations. The mean correct responses for six questions assessing participants’ knowledge on contact lens care and safety was 61.4%. Our results implied that contact lens wearers were not well informed of the risks and consequences to their eye health as results of not following the strict regimes recommended by their practioners. Contact lens providers should reconsider strategies to ensure wearers’s compliance so that complications can be minimized