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Contact lenses can benefit both children and teens, study finds
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DENVER — Children as young as 8 years may experience quality of life improvements similar to those of teenagers after switching from spectacles to contact lenses, a study suggests.
Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, and investigators in the Contact Lens in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study fitted 84 children aged 8 to 12 years and 85 teenagers aged 13 to 17 years with Acuvue Advance lenses (Johnson & Johnson) for spherical and/or astigmatic correction. Patients completed quality of life surveys at baseline and at 1 week and 1 month follow-up visits, according to a press release from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.
At baseline, quality of life scores on a 100-point scale averaged 63.6 points for children and 63 points for teens. At 1 month, the children's mean score improved to 74.5 points and the teens' mean score improved to 72.1 points (P = .23), the release said.
Also at 1 month, parents reported no significant differences in lens tolerability between children and teens, and investigators said that the children were "as adept at insertion and removal of contact lenses as teens," according to the release.
The study was presented at the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Denver.