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Over 99% of contact lens wearers in CDC survey risked eye infection
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Nearly all contact lens wearers who participated in an online survey took part in behaviors that may increase the risk of eye infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today.
Survey results were issued to mark Contact Lens Health Week, Aug. 24 to 28, and to highlight the CDC’s efforts to promote contact lens and eye health, according to a CDC press release.
“Nearly one million U.S. health care visits for keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) or contact lens complications occur annually, at a cost of $175 million. The largest single risk factor for microbial keratitis is contact lens wear,” Jennifer R. Cope, MD, and colleagues wrote in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The CDC conducted the Contact Lens Risk Survey in collaboration with the Contact Lens Assessment in Youth (CLAY group), a university-based research group. About 1,000 contact lens wearers participated in the survey.
According to the results, 40.9 million Americans aged 18 years or older wore contact lenses in 2014. About one-third of participants reported having red or painful eyes that required medical attention.
Results showed that more than 99% of survey participants reported engaging in at least one risky behavior linked to eye infection. Those behaviors included keeping contact lens cases longer than the recommended time (82.3%), topping off solution in the case rather than emptying the case before adding new solution (55.1%) and wearing contact lenses while sleeping (50.2%).
Reference:
Cope JR et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64:865-870.