Temporal considerations in contact lens discomfort

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Vision Science
• Ocular Surface Disease

Background:

• Ocular discomfort is a common complaint among contact lens wearers.
• Understanding factors contributing to discomfort is crucial for improving wearer experience and compliance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the independent contributions of contact lens wearing time and wear initiation time to perceived ocular discomfort.
• To analyze these factors within a realistic daily wear framework.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three participants rated ocular discomfort on a visual analogue scale over 12 hours.
• Data was collected on one non-lens day and three soft contact lens wear days with varying start times.
• The change in discomfort over the wearing period was assessed in relation to wear initiation time.

Main Results:

• Contact lens wear significantly increased ocular discomfort regardless of wear start time (p < 0.01).
• No statistically significant differences in discomfort increase were found between different wear start times (p = 0.98).
• Average discomfort increase ranged from 16.8 to 23.5 over 12 hours of lens wear.

Conclusions:

• Ocular discomfort during contact lens wear is primarily linked to the duration the lenses are worn, not the time of day they are inserted.
• The variability in discomfort suggests other unmeasured factors influence wearer experience.
• Compliance monitoring is recommended for studies involving time-sensitive outcomes in contact lens wear.