Contact Lens Use Patterns, Behavior and Knowledge Among University Students in Thailand

Abstract

Purpose: Little is known about contact lens (CL) use in young generation. This study aimed to investigate the patterns, behavior and knowledge of CL wear and care in Thai university students. Methods: A cross-sectional study using online questionnaires was conducted during July 2019 to February 2020 in two Rajabhat universities, Bangkok, Thailand. Participant characteristics, CL information, knowledge and behaviors were collected. Factors associated with poor behaviors and CL-related corneal ulcers were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: Of 493 students participating in the survey, 336 students (66.78%) were current CL users and completed the questionnaires. Mean age was 19.2 ± 1.4 years with female predominance (80.36%). All students wore soft CL with a major replacement schedule of monthly disposable (90.18%). Good CL wear and care behaviors were found in 190 students (56.55%). The most common poor CL behavior and poor CL knowledge were CL overuse (44.64%) and sleeping with lenses (31.85%), respectively. There were no correlations between behaviors and knowledge (r = 0.03). Purchasing lens from internet, wearing experience over one year, and long wear duration (> 12 hours) were significantly associated with poor CL behavior. Male gender and swimming with lens were significantly associated with history of corneal ulcers. Conclusion: The study pointed out a low compliance of CL wear and care in Thai university students. Good CL practices, awareness of CL-related complications and purchasing place should be carefully informed and regularly stressed to minimize preventable visual damage in young population.

Awareness of the Practice and Use of Contact Lenses amongst Students of the Health Faculty at Jazan University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The cross-sectional study is not an appropriate approach for establishing the causative associations among the study variables, which is consistent with what other authors found [8,11]. Also, non-response bias is a problem in such studies, consistent with other research [12]. The problem stems from the self-reported questionnaire utilized in the present paper, which is consistent with other studies [12,10] and contrary to another body of studies [13,14].…”

“…Also, non-response bias is a problem in such studies, consistent with other research [12]. The problem stems from the self-reported questionnaire utilized in the present paper, which is consistent with other studies [12,10] and contrary to another body of studies [13,14]. Therefore, future studies should utilize various methods, like interviews.…”

“…Therefore, future studies should utilize various methods, like interviews. Furthermore, only students from Jazan University took part in this research, and therefore the results may not be representative of the entire community, similarly to another study [12]. Moreover, despite the fact that the survey was distributed equally across the target population, female respondents accounted for 59.8% of the study sample.…”

Rub and Rinse Contact Lenses Before Wearing as a Protective Regimen Against Contact Lens-Related Eye Infections

“… 6 Among university students in Thailand, poor CL behaviours were related to purchasing lenses from the internet, wearing them for over one year, and long wear duration (>12 hours). 7 A number of studies provide information on the prevalence of usage, knowledge, and risky behaviours of CL care, especially in young populations. 7–9 However, there are limited studies about the relationship between the behaviour and compliance of CL users in the general population in Thailand.…”

Corneal endothelial cell density and morphology in ophthalmologically healthy young individuals in Japan: An observational study of 16842 eyes

“…Furthermore, previous reports lack information on healthy patients aged < 40 years and none of the reports evaluated the healthy morphology. Because patients who use contact lens for refractive correction tend to be relatively young 18 , it is essential to determine the value and distribution of corneal endothelial density and morphology of healthy young patients for the accurate assessment of contact lens usage. Therefore, we aimed to analyze corneal ECD and morphology in healthy Japanese individuals without a history of contact lens usage, ophthalmic surgery, or ocular disease.…”