Adolescents' Usage and Attitude Toward Contact Lenses: A Descriptive Study In Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to explore adolescents' (11-20 years) usage of, beliefs in, attitudes toward, and barriers to contact lens use in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The study recruited 1252 healthy participants from 20 highly populated schools. The schools were selected at random from middle and high schools in Riyadh. A self-administered contact lens questionnaire was used directed towards glasses usage and contact lens knowledge, usage, attitudes, and barriers.

A total of 726 of the 1252 participants had refractive errors, and 47% of those wore glasses. The proportion of non-compliance was 24%. One of the main reasons of non-compliance was cosmetic appearance (26%). Fewer than 10% were offered contact lenses for refractive error correction. One hundred and fifty-nine participants used contact lenses, and most obtained them without proper professional consultation. About 90% of contact lens-wearing participants did not sleep with the lenses and about 50% had no complications wearing them.

The percentage of contact lens users was relatively low. A substantial number of older adolescents and females were found to wear contact lenses, although without proper professional consultation. Knowledge of and attitudes toward contact lenses among adolescents were in acceptable levels. These results gave indications that contact lens usage in adolescents can be achievable and valuable for refractive error correction, especially for those who are non-compliant with glasses.