Compliance and hygiene behaviour among soft contact lens wearers in the Maldives

Abstract

Background: Significant levels of non-compliance and poor hygiene among contact lens wearers have been reported previously from different parts of the world. This survey aimed at identifying the scope of hygiene and non-compliant behaviour of soft contact lens wearers in the Maldives. Methods: Established soft lens wearers attending two eye clinics in Male' city, were interviewed in office or via telephone. A set of interviewer-administered questions was used to access the subjective response on compliance and hygiene behaviour (hand and lens case hygiene, water exposure, adherence to lens replacement schedule, dozing and overnight wear, awareness of aftercare visits and reuse of disinfecting solution). Participants were also asked to rate themselves as a contact lens user based on their perceived compliance and hygiene practices. Results: Out of 107 participants, 79 (74.8 per cent) were interviewed in the office and the rest via telephone. The majority of lens wearers were female, office workers and students, with a mean age of 20.64 Ϯ 4.4 years. Mean duration of lens wear was 28.04 Ϯ 8.36 months. Most of them were using spherical lenses (86.9 per cent) on a daily wear basis (96.3 per cent). Major reported forms of non-compliance were poor hand hygiene (60.7 per cent), lack of aftercare awareness (39.3 per cent), water exposure (35.5 per cent) and over-use of lenses (24.3 per cent). While females were more likely to overuse their lenses than males (p < 0.005), other socio-demographic factors were not associated with reported noncompliance. Although around 90 per cent of the participants considered themselves average or good contact lens wearers, most exhibited some form of non-compliant and poor hygienic behaviour. Conclusion: A significant number of Maldivian contact lens wearers exhibited poor levels of hygiene and compliance with contact lenses and lens care systems. An effective educational reinforcement strategy needs to be developed to modify lens wearers' non-compliance.

Prevalence, habits and outcomes of using contact lenses among medical students

“…These results are in line with our findings. Furthermore, our results showed that about half of CLs’ users exceeded the recommended period of renewal, which coincides also with the Maldives’ study 17…”

“…In the current study, 29.5% of our participants slept with their lenses (18.9% for a nap and 10.6% overnight). These results are in line with results from Riyadh,9 Maldives17 and Australia 20. However, 50.2% of adults’ wearers from USA online study reported sleeping overnight with CLs 5.…”

“…A higher percentage (89.4%) was reported from Riyadh as they received instructions about CLs’ hygienic practices 9. Our study showed that 57.1% of the participants washed their hands with soap and water before touching lenses, which is better than results from Maldives (44.2%) 17. This discrepancy may be due to differences between target populations.…”

Microbiota and Particulate Matter Assessment in Portuguese Optical Shops Providing Contact Lens Services

“…Contact lenses are used for refractive correction, cosmetic enhancement, and other therapeutic reasons [1]. The number of contact lens wearers worldwide have been estimated as high as 140 million in 2005 [2].…”

Survey on soft contact lens care in female students of KSU

“…With the increasing number of contact lens usage, the number of complications due to contact lens wear is increasing. Many studies reported that ignorance of contact lens care leads to a serious ocular health problem for example dry eyes, giant papillary conjunctivitis, corneal edema, corneal ulcer, keratitis, corneal warpage and neovascularization [4][5][6][7]. Ocular health education especially knowledge in the correct and careful practice regarding contact lens wear can prevent complications resulting from wearer's inappropriate behavior.…”