Contact lens assessment in youth: methods and baseline findings

To describe the Contact Lens Assessment in Youth (CLAY) Study design and report baseline data for a multicenter, retrospective, observational chart review of children, teenagers, and young adult soft contact lens (SCL) wearers.

Clinical charts of SCL wearers aged 8 to 33 years were reviewed at six colleges of optometry. Data were captured retrospectively for eye care visits from January 2006 through September 2009. Patient demographics, SCL parameters, wearing schedules, care systems, and biomicroscopy findings and complications that interrupted SCL wear were entered into an online database.

Charts from 3549 patients (14,276 visits) were reviewed; 78.8% were current SCL wearers and 21.2% were new fits. Age distribution was 8 to <13 years (n = 260, 7.3%), 13 to <18 years (n = 879, 24.8%), 18 to <26 years (n = 1,274, 36.0%), and 26 to <34 years (n = 1,136, 32.0%). The sample was 63.2% females and 37.7% college students. At baseline, 85.2% wore spherical SCLs, 13.5% torics, and 0.1% multifocals. Silicone hydrogel lenses were worn by 39.3% of the cohort. Daily wear was reported by 82.1%, whereas 17.9% reported any or occasional overnight wear. Multipurpose care systems were used by 78.1%, whereas another 9.9% indicated hydrogen peroxide solutions use.

This data represent the SCL prescribing and wearing patterns for children, teenager, and young adult SCL wearers who presented for eye care in North American academic clinics. This will provide insight into SCL utilization, change in SCL refractive correction, and risk factors for SCL-related complications by age group.