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High activity more taxing on contact lenses
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NEW ORLEANS – Researchers reported here at the American Academy of Optometry that a decline in contact lens performance may be under-reported by patients.
Kieron Mathews, BSc, MBA, and colleagues stated in a poster that eye care providers should identify patients who engage in numerous activities and changing environments throughout the day that would put higher demands on contact lenses, “as these are the patients who are most likely to experience a lens performance decline.”
The researchers said they undertook the study to evaluate trends in lens performance throughout the day that are often overlooked when determining end-of-day comfort.
Two hundred forty-three soft contact lens wearers between the ages of 18 and 39 years received surveys every 2 hours via smartphone. The group was made up of 101 daily disposable and 142 reusable lens wearers.
Lens performance was determined by combining comfort, vision and satisfaction scores, according to the poster. Overall, lens performance tracked downward, but not all subjects had the same experience: 59% had an overall decline throughout the day, and 41% maintained the same performance. Lens modality appeared to have no affect on responses.
Of those who declined throughout the day, 25% experienced fluctuations, 19% experienced continuous decline, 8% saw a slight decline, and 8% saw a sudden drop at the end of the day, the researchers reported.
Thirty-six members of the “decliner” group participated in 10 or more activities throughout the day, while only 21% of those who maintained the same performance throughout the day did. Activities included working on their laptop, sending texts on their phone, using mobile applications or doing homework.
Shifting in environments occurred in 7.3% of those with declining performance and 5.8% of those who maintained performance.
“In today’s world of multi-tasking and multi-screen living, we demand a lot from our eyes each day,” Millicent Knight, OD, vice president of professional affairs, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. North America, said in a press release. “With this study, we aimed to better understand the relationship between the number of activities a patient takes part in and their contact lens performance.
“The results support our hypothesis that there is a direct correlation,” she continued. “The more activities a patient does throughout the day, the more likely they are to experience environmental shifts and changes in humidity, airflow and temperature that can impact their tear film.” – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO
Disclosures: Mathews is CEO of Kadence International. The study was sponsored by Kadence International and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.