Factors and Affitudes in Relation to Wear and Discard Disposable Soft Contact Lenses.

Nantana Sirorotsakool, B.Sc.*
Patarachal Puffawibul, M.D **
* Haadyai Vision Care Company.
** Eye Clinic, Haadyai district, Songkla province.


ABSTRACT The authors conducted a one-year study of 364 disposable soft contact lens (DSCL) wearers (705 eyes) who visitted in our eye clinic from 15 September 1992 through 14 September 1993.

Seventythree cases (20.1%) were males and 291 cases (79.9%) were females in the range of 11-50 years old (mean 25.41 + 6.32). There were 231 cases (63.5%) had never worn any contact lens before, and 133 cases (36.6%) had changed from conventional contact lenses because of some lens' problems 101 cases (75.9%) and others' problems 32 cases (24.1%). Our aim was to determine the performance standards for safety and the cheapest annual cost of DSCL using with daily- wear regimen.

This programme included taking off lenses at night, soaking in the disinfecting soluhon, no surfactant cleaning, no enzymatic cleaning tablet, and then discarded after 4 weeks. The results from ocular examinations and questionnaires showed that the wearers discarded after average 32 day periods per pair, used a disinfecting bottle (355 ml.) for average 90 day periods, so the annual fee was 3,600 baht a year, and there were 9 cases developed complications.

Over all, the prevalence of conjunctival changing was significantly lower among the unexperienced users than the experienced users (p =0.08).

Thai J Ophthalmol 1994 ; July - December 8(2): 97-112.