Discontinuation of contact lens wear: a survey

Discontinuation from contact lens wear has been cited as a contributing factor to the lack of growth of the contact lens market in North America. To determine the reasons and extent of abandonment from contact lens wear among patients from optometric practices, 4415 questionnaires were randomly mailed to patients from 16 practices in Quebec, Canada, and were returned as anonymous responses to the Centre for Contact Lens Research in Waterloo. Thirty-three percent (n = 1444) of the surveys were returned. After 5 +/- 6 years of lens wear, 34% of patients had discontinued lens wear at least once. Of the patients who discontinued, 77% resumed wear and 48% of those discontinued a second time. Those who had discontinued were fitted at an older age (by approximately 2 years), were in the professional/health care/management occupation sector, and had a slightly lower myopic prescription. Before discontinuation, the wearing time of this group was approximately 1 day/week less than those continuing to wear lenses. Of the patients who had discontinued, 49% had been refitted at least once, and the primary reason for refitting was discomfort. The primary reasons for abandonment were discomfort, dryness, and red eyes. Improved comfort and relief of dryness were the primary factors that would improve contact lens wear for the group that had discontinued. Practitioners may be able to target specific patient groups with remedial measures to improve contact lens-wearing success.