Contact lens trends over three decades in a hospital-based practice in India

Contact lens fittings in a hospital-based practice are different from those in private practices because of specialised conditions. Few studies have been published on material preferences of such wearers, especially in long-term wearers. The aim of this study is to document contact lens prescribing trends in a hospital-based practice among long-term lens wearers and to identify their demographic profile.

Subjects reporting to a contact lens clinic of a tertiary eye-care centre in India from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014, with a minimum of five years of lens wear, were included in the study. Data were collected retrospectively from the electronic medical charts of these subjects.

Three hundred and sixty subjects were included in the study. The average duration of contact lens wear among the subjects was 9 ± 5 years (range: 5-35 years). The average age of the subjects was 31.38 ± 11.75 years (age range: 5-78 years). Hydrogel material and soft spherical type were preferred by most of the soft lens wearers (53 per cent). Eighty per cent of subjects followed hand hygiene and cleaning regimen practices.

The preference for monthly replacement lenses and silicone hydrogel material increased over the years. Regular after-care consultations could enforce the need for compliance with hand hygiene and cleaning regimens among lens wearers.