University students fail to comply with contact lens care

To assess the level of compliance related to contact lens (CL) wear in university students in Spain.

A web-based questionnaire was distributed to university students through their representatives to assess general demographic information, questions related to CL history, level of compliance with CL care and CL-related complications.

A total of 266 participants with an average age of 22 (±4.5) years completed the online questionnaire. Only 39.1 % of respondents indicated that they always replace their CLs within the recommended schedule, and 63.6 % indicated that they usually wear their CLs more hours per day than recommended. Surprisingly, 64.9 % of participants reported that they had not been informed about the potential risks of CL wear, and only 20 % indicated that they always comply with follow-up visits, whereas 42.1 % of respondents expose their CL to water frequently. Participants who received proper CL education were more likely to attend aftercare visits (X²(2) = 9.104, p < 0.05). Participants with a longer history of CL wear had a greater tendency to expose their CLs to water (X²(6) = 18.768, p < 0.05) and suffer CL-related problems (X²(3) = 12.183, p < 0.05). There was also a relationship between an increased frequency of CL exposure to water and an increased tendency to experience CL-related adverse events (X²(2) = 10.864, p < 0.05).

A relatively high percentage of university CL wearers displayed some degree of non-compliance, which emphasises the importance of providing accurate and comprehensive CL care guidelines and attending aftercare visits to minimise potential CL-related complications. CL wearers should be provided with clear and unambiguous guidelines to avoid any exposure of CL's and CL cases to water.