University students fail to comply with contact lens care

Compliance with contact lens care and factors driving noncompliance in health-care students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“…Contrary to the low levels of compliance reported in the literature,[ 1 21 22 27 33 ] adherence to aftercare visits showed moderate-to-high levels of compliance in this study. An exception to most of the previous works was that of Philips and Prevade which reported a soaring compliance rate in yearly aftercare follow-ups for patients using soft contact lenses.…”

“…An exception to most of the previous works was that of Philips and Prevade which reported a soaring compliance rate in yearly aftercare follow-ups for patients using soft contact lenses. [ 34 ] In accordance with the literature where not replacing lens solution and only topping up has always been there as a behavior with moderate levels of compliance,[ 18 21 22 27 ] this study also revealed this practice to be one with moderate levels of compliance. Interestingly, however, very high levels of compliance were observed in a study conducted in Spain during the lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), highlighting the pandemic's impact on contact lens wearers’ older habits.…”

“…The high level of compliance observed in this study in sharing contacts with others and sleeping/napping with lenses agrees with what was reported in the literature with regard to lens sharing[ 1 2 21 ] and using lenses during naps or overnight sleep. [ 1 2 21 22 24 27 ] In this study, most students only rarely or occasionally used an expired lens solution. This result is consistent with that of a study of Italian teenagers conducted by Abbouda et al .…”

“…[ 23 ] Comparable rates of compliance in cleaning contact lenses with water or saliva have been reported in previous works that inquired about this practice. [ 21 22 27 29 ] A number of studies looked into the rates of lens exposure to water by swimming or showering while wearing contact lenses. Many studies agreed that contact lens wearers are highly compliant to avoiding swimming/showering with lenses;[ 2 28 29 30 31 ] several others, however, reported moderate-to-poor levels of compliance.…”

“…Many studies agreed that contact lens wearers are highly compliant to avoiding swimming/showering with lenses;[ 2 28 29 30 31 ] several others, however, reported moderate-to-poor levels of compliance. [ 21 27 32 33 ] The high levels of compliance reported in this study may be because most participants purchased their contact lenses from optic stores which have most likely given them instructions on the wear and care of their lenses.…”