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Study: Children report better quality of life after switching to contact lenses
Activities, appearance and satisfaction with correction improved most.
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In a study of myopic children younger than 12 years of age, a better vision-related quality of life was reported after participants switched from spectacles to contact lenses in a multicenter, single-masked, randomized clinical trial.
Researchers in the Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) Study administered the Pediatric Refractive Error Profile to 484 children ages 8 to 11 years who wore glasses at the baseline examination. A total of 247 children were randomly assigned to wear contact lenses, and the remaining 237 children were assigned spectacle correction for 3 years.
According to the study, contact lens wearers reported a significantly larger improvement (14.2 units) in quality of life than spectacle wearers (2.1 units; P < .001). Measurements accounting for activities, appearance and satisfaction with correction showed the most improvement, especially in contact lens wearers older than 10 years of age.
“Older children, children who participate in recreational activities, children who are motivated to wear contact lenses and children who do not like their appearance in glasses will benefit most [from wearing contact lenses],” the authors said.
The survey was administered at baseline and 1 month, then every 6 months for 3 years. By the end of the study, which was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and the Vision Care Institute, spectacle wearers did not report improvements greater than 5 points in any area.
Contact lens candidates disputed
While some physicians debate the appropriate age at which children should begin wearing contact lenses, study author Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, does not recommend using age to determine if a child is a suitable contact lens candidate.
“We all know several 5-year-old children who are good candidates for contact lens wear, and we all know 25-year-old adults who are not good candidates for contact lens wear, so age should not be used as a deciding factor,” Dr. Walline said in an interview with Primary Care Optometry News. “Motivation, maturity and ocular features of the child, as well as attention of the parent, are all better determining factors.”
One study limitation, and possible bias, noted by the authors is that most subjects wanted to wear contact lenses before enrolling in the study. However, Dr. Walline said that occasionally some parents wanted their child to try contact lenses more than their child did.
“The study results may have been different for subjects who were indifferent or opposed to wearing contact lenses,” Dr. Walline said, “But the subjects we included in the study are representative of the subjects who would ask their eye care practitioner for contact lenses.”
Dr. Walline is involved in a separate study that examines the effects of soft bifocal contact lenses on myopia progression in children. After measuring their quality of life using the same methods as the ACHIEVE study, Dr. Walline said initial data indicates children wearing bifocal soft contact lenses had a similar quality of life as children wearing spherical soft contact lenses. – by Courtney Preston
Reference:
- Rah M, Walline J, Jones-Jordan L, et al. Vision specific quality of life of pediatric contact lens wearers. Optom Vis Sci. 2010;87(8):560-566.
- Jeffrey J. Walline, OD, PhD, can be reached at the Ohio State College of Optometry, 338 W. 10th Ave., Columbus, Ohio, 43210; (614) 247-6840; jwalline@optometry.osu.edu.
