Patient Awareness Of Contact Lens Modalities And The Various Options Available.

Background: As the contact lens industry continues to grow and change, practitioners
need to find ways to adequately educate patients on these advancements. This study
explored the level of contact lens knowledge amongst patients of all ages and
backgrounds. This information will help establish a baseline for awareness and allow
practitioners to develop new strategies to implement in order to improve patient contact
lens awareness.
Methods: 165 primary care and contact lens patients were presented with an optional survey prior to their scheduled ocular exam. The population consisted of patients from and around the cities of Detroit, West Bloomfield, and Big Rapids, Michigan. The data was collected from August 2014 through February 2015. The data was analyzed with regards to age, gender, and current vision correction modality.
Results: 150 surveys completed by patients were analyzed. 86% of the patients had some form of correction, with the majority being glasses at 54% and contact lenses at 35.3%. 16.7% of the patients had not heard of any of the types of contact lens options and modalities listed. Soft contact lenses were the most commonly recognized
option/modality at 76%. 56.7% of the patients had previously discussed contact lenses
with their eye care provider. 5.3% of the patients were previously told that they could not
wear contact lenses. 59.3% of patients felt they had an adequate understanding of contact lenses and the various options available. Finally, 93.3% of the patients would consider contact lenses if their eye care practitioner felt it were the best option for them. Conclusions: The focus of this project was to establish a baseline of patient knowledge
pertaining to contact lenses and the various options and modalities associated with them. This information was used to determine whether or not more patient education should be integrated into contact lens exams/primary care exams.