Though the Internet is a convenient source of information about practically anything, people should be careful about where they get information about contact lenses on the Web, say two eye doctors.

In an article titled, “Surprising ‘Facts’ Your Patients Learn on the Internet,” published in the April 2010 issue of Optometric Management magazine, optometrists Ernie Bowling, OD, (Gadsden, Ala.) and Gregg E. Russell, OD, (Marietta, Ga.) say that contact lens wearers seeking reliable information about contact lenses and lens care online are likely to encounter plenty of myths, half-truths and misinformation on many websites.

Online forums can be particularly dubious, since people who post messages typically are not eye doctors and often provide information that is erroneous and even dangerous.

For example, Drs. Bowling and Russell found online posts that included recipes for making homemade saline solution for contact lens storage, despite the fact that storing lenses overnight in saline solution greatly increases the risk of contact lens-related eye infections, including a potentially blinding infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

For accurate information about contact lenses online, the authors recommend the websites of major contact lens manufacturers.

Other trusted sites for useful and reliable contact lens information mentioned by Drs. Bowling and Russell include:

• AllAboutVision.com
• British Contact Lens Association
• American Optometric Association’s Contact Lens Section
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Contact Lens Section

The authors advised optometrists to remember that the best sources of unbiased, professional information about contact lenses for patients are the eye doctors themselves.

Dry eye disease is widespread among contact lens wearers and is a significant reason people stop wearing contacts, according to Gary N. Foulks, MD.

Dr. Foulks is professor of ophthalmology at the University of Louisville (Louisville, Ky.) and a recognized expert in dry eyes. He discussed the condition at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dry eye symptoms are reported by 50 to 80 percent of people wearing contact lenses and may be the limiting factor in at least one-third of cases of contact lens wear failure, Dr. Foulks said.

An underlying cause of dry eye problems suffered by contact lens wearers is a condition called meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), which is characterized by reduced secretions from oil glands located at the eyelid margins.

Oil secreted by meibomian glands becomes part of the tear film that coats the surface of the eye. If the meibomian glands become plugged or fail to secrete adequate oil for other reasons, the tear film quickly evaporates, leading to dry eye problems.

According to Dr. Foulks, MGD is present in 40 to 50 percent of patients in a typical optometric or contact lens practice.

Symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye are similar, and include:

• fluctuating vision (especially when reading or using a computer)
• eye irritiation
• a feeling something is “in” the eye (foreign body sensation)
• an eye itching or burning sensation

Treatment for MGD includes lid hygiene with hot compresses, followed by lid massage to open plugged meibomian glands. In more severe cases, topical antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications may be needed.

Artificial tears and lubricating eye drops are the primary treatment for dry eye disease. Anti-inflammatory treatment with cyclosporine A (Restasis prescription eye drops) also has been shown to successfully manage dry eyes. Use of punctal plugs to slow the drainage of tears from the surface of the eye also can be helpful.

Recent research shows that dietary supplementation with flaxseed oil also may help reduce signs and symptoms of MGD and dry eye.

If your contact lenses are becoming uncomfortable and you suspect you have dry eyes, see your optometrist or ophthalmologist immediately. Early recognition and treatment of dry eye and MGD can control and prevent progression of these conditions and make your contact lens wear more comfortable.

The 2010 Winter Olympics are here, so it’s a good time to compare the performance of contact lens wearers in the United States and Canada.

In a study published recently in Optometry & Vision Science (official journal of the American Academy of Optometry), researchers evaluated the types of contact lenses prescribed in the two countries and how frequently lens wearers replaced their lenses.

A total of 8,400 patient surveys were sent to 420 eye care practitioners in the U.S. and Canada, and 2,232 eligible surveys were completed and returned by 216 practitioners (74 percent U.S., 26 percent Canada).

Results from the surveys revealed:

• 18 percent of contact lens wearers in Canada and 16 percent in the United States wear daily disposable contact lenses.
• 35 percent of contact lens wearers in Canada and 45 percent in the U.S. wear silicone hydrogel contact lenses designed for 2-week replacement.
• 47 percent of contact lens wearers in Canada and 39 percent in the U.S. wear silicone hydrogel contacts designed for monthly replacement.

The degree of noncompliance with recommended lens replacement frequency was essentially the same for contact lens wearers in both countries:

• The lowest noncompliance rates were among wearers of daily disposable contacts (13 percent Canada, 12 percent U.S.).
• The highest were for silicone hydrogel lenses designed for 2-week replacement (50 percent Canada, 52 percent U.S.).
• Noncompliance rates for contact lenses designed for monthly replacement were 33 percent in Canada and 28 percent in the United States.

The primary reason contact lens wearers gave for not replacing 2-week and 1-month lenses according to the recommended replacement schedule was “forgetting which day to replace lenses” (54 percent Canada, 53 percent U.S.).

The primary reason wearers gave for not replacing daily disposable lenses after a single day of use was “to save money” (56 percent Canada, 29 percent U.S.).

SOURCE:  Compliance with contact lens replacement in Canada and the United States. Optometry & Vision Science. December 2009.