Contact Lens Compliance Survey.

Background: Contact lens compliance has been researched at length and shows poor compliance leads to adverse reactions. Many studies have looked to identify trends within contact lens wearers. Research suggests non-compliant patients continue to be non-compliant even after they have been educated on risks. In addition, research also suggests that even with a modified patient education, there was no significant difference in patient non-compliance. Research has identified the factors that plague most patients such as: hand hygiene, lens care, and return appointments. In our study we will attempt to assess the compliance ofpatients who wear contact lenses at the Mich;gan College ofOptometry as compared to those who wear contact lenses in the Detroit Meh·opolitan Area. Methods: We created a survey that contact lens patients were asked at their yearly eyecare appointment. The survey asked about behaviors such as: hand cleanliness, lens case hygiene, wear schedule and adherence, contact lens insertion and removal, and others. This survey was given to twelve contact lens patients at the Michigan College of Optometry
(n= I 2) and forty-five contact lens patients in the Metropolitan Detroit Area in a private practice setting (n=45, total n=57). Results: Compliance to prescribed care plan and wear schedule, and general hygiene was compared between modalities and analyzed to discover any difference in responses in the Michigan College of Optometry patients compared to patients of a private practice. Our results showed both groups showed non-compliant behaviors, with a moderate percentage greater in the private practice patients. The two biggest areas of non-compliance seem to be lens cleaning and case replacement. Conclusions: This project has shed light on the attitudes and habits of contact lens wearers. It revealed that a great number of patients are non-compliant with the hygiene, care, and wear schedule of contact lenses. There are differences in compliance between patients of the Michigan college of optometry and a private practice setting; These differences may exist due to the amount of patient education the patient receives and how that affects compliance. Patients also perceive themselves to be better compliant than they are.