Contact lens procurement and usage habits among adults in Sudan

Abstract

Objective The study aimed to assess contact lens (CL) wear and care habits among adults in Sudan. Design An observational, non-interventional, multi-center, cross-sectional study was conducted in the CL departments of all the eye hospitals and centers, and optical centers in the Khartoum State, Sudan. Participants Established CL wearers residing in Khartoum State, Sudan. Main outcomes and measures CL wear profile, CL usage habits, hand and CL hygiene habits were assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results The average age of the 442 participants was 24.57 (± 4.87) years. Women comprised 92% of the sample. Smoking was reported by 15.8% of the sample. 81.9% wore soft spherical CL, with 43.4% of the participants were prescribed CL on a yearly replacement schedule. Only 68.3% were prescribed CL by an eye care practitioner. Multipurpose solutions were used by 78.8% of the sample to clean CL, and by 52% to clean the lens case. Compliance rate for CL wear and care among participants was 81.1%. None of the participants reported sharing CL or CL case and rinsing the case with tap water. High compliance level was observed for overnight wear; swimming and showering with CL; handwashing before CL insertion; and cleaning of CL. Moderate compliance rates were recorded for cleaning and replacing lens case, and topping up or sharing solution. Low compliance was noted for attending after care visits. Conclusions and relevance CL wearers in Sudan exhibit high to moderate levels of compliance to most contact lens wear and care aspects, except for attending aftercare visits. CL practitioners in Sudan are encouraged to prescribe CL appropriate to the lifestyle and economic situation of patients and actively recommend care products. In addition, practitioners need to follow up with patients to attend aftercare appointments, where hygienic wear and care habits should be emphasized.

Demographic profiles of contact lens wearers and their association with lens wear characteristics in Trinidad and Tobago: A retrospective study

“…Data collection involved the use of a data extraction sheet to obtain information on the demographic profile of each patient fitted and CL wearing history and characteristics. These were based on a review of previous studies [1, 6, 7] and included lens type, purpose of wear (fashion, refractive correction and therapeutic/cosmesis) [9, 13, 19] lens material (hydrogel, silicon hydrogel and rigid gas permeable), habitual lens replacement schedule (daily disposable, weekly disposable, monthly disposable and yearly disposable) [1], lens wear modality (fulltime wear was considered as ≥8hrs per day and seven days a week and part time as <8hrs per day) [7], and care systems advised for each patient, over a two-year period.…”

“…Global trends indicate that soft CL for daily wear are more popular, and majority of wearers were females [6-9]. In addition, an increase in silicone hydrogel CL for daily wear has been reported globally [1, 10, 11]. Rigid CL lens fitting has been shown to represent a small percentage of the market, particularly in developing countries [7, 12].…”

Demographic profiles of contact lens wearers and their association with lens wear characteristics in Trinidad and Tobago: A retrospective study

“…Data collection involved the use of a data extraction sheet to obtain information on the demographic profile of each patient fitted and CL wearing history and characteristics. These were based on a review of previous studies [1,6,7] and included lens type, purpose of wear (fashion [i.e. those that are used for masking eye flaws and or enhancing appearance], refractive correction and therapeutic [i.e.…”

“…Contact lenses (CL) are used for the correction of refractive errors as well as fashion and therapeutic purposes [1]. It is estimated that there are over 140 million CL wearers globally [2].…”

“…Global trends indicate that soft CL for daily wear is more popular, and majority of wearers were females [6][7][8][9]. In addition, an increase in silicone hydrogel CL for daily wear has been reported globally [1,10,11]. Rigid CL lens fitting has been shown to represent a small percentage of the market, particularly in developing countries [7,12].…”