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.

In this month’s issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, editor and contact lens specialist Jason J. Nichols, OD, warns that current economic conditions may be affecting how people are wearing and caring for their contact lenses.

Dr. Nichols says hard economic times can alter people’s behavior regarding their health, including how frequently they replace their contacts and how they use contact lens solutions.

“I am hearing more and more reports of patients looking for the cheapest ‘bottle’ on the shelf, which just happens to be saline rather than an appropriate care solution,” he says. Many contact lens wearers may also be using their lenses for longer periods of time rather than discarding and replacing them according to the schedule their optometrist or ophthalmologist recommends, according to Dr. Nichols.

Internet blogs and social networking sites may be contributing to the problem: some sites feature discussion boards where contact lens wearers report how they routinely wear their disposable contacts longer than recommended.

Dr. Nichols warns that poor contact lens habits frequently lead to contact lens-related eye infections, including severe infections like Acanthamoeba keratitis. He urges eye doctors to continue educating and re-educating their patients about proper contact lens wear and care.

In a related story published in the journal, a survey released by the American Optometric Association indicates 52 percent of consumers are visiting their eye doctor less frequently due to economic reasons. The same survey says 59 percent are visiting their primary care physician less frequently.