Forms of vision correction: demographic factors in patient attitudes and perceptions

To evaluate attitudes toward current treatments for vision correction in a clinical population of adults wearing spectacles and contact lenses (CLs).

Patients seen in the Indiana University Contact Lens and Primary Care Clinics in the spring of 2002 completed multiple-choice questionnaires evaluating their current device for vision, comfort, convenience, health and safety, cost, and overall satisfaction. They also rated their interest in and the convenience and health and safety of 30-day continuous wear (CW), 7-day extended wear (EW), modern orthokeratology, and LASIK and were given a forced choice on their preferred method of vision correction.

Three hundred forty-nine CL and 177 primary care patients completed questionnaires. Subjects reported high satisfaction with their current treatment. Seventy percent of glasses wearers were neutral or not interested in CLs or LASIK. CL patients were interested or very interested in orthokeratology (70%) followed by LASIK (65%), 7-day EW (51%), and 30-day CW (44%). Age and sex were the most significant factors that influenced wearing practices and attitudes, with males (especially young) indicating significantly higher use of EW than females (P = 0.0005, chi(2)). Males were also more interested in 7-day EW (P = 0.011) and 30-day CW (P = 0.001) and rated their health and safety higher (P = 0.045 and P = 0.003, respectively).

In the spring of 2002, many of these patients remained cautious about the health and safety of 7-day EW and 30-day CW CLs.