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Study: Children report better quality of life after switching to contact lenses
Optom Vis Sci. 2010;87(8):560-566.
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Myopic children younger than 12 years reported better overall quality of life after switching from spectacles to contact lenses, a study reported.
"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 study authors said. The researchers administered the Pediatric Refractive Error Profile to 484 children who wore glasses at a 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.
During the study, contact lens wearers reported a significantly larger improvement (14.2 units) in overall quality of life than spectacle wearers (2.1 units; P < .001). Researchers administered the survey at baseline and 1 month, then every 6 months for 3 years. Measurements accounting for activities, appearance and satisfaction with correction showed the most improvement for contact lens wearers.