Purchase of contact lenses and contact-lenses-related symptoms following the Contact Lenses in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study

Background

The rate and reasons for discontinuation of contact lens wear by young patients are not well known. The Contact Lenses in Pediatrics (CLIP) Study surveyed participants 3 months after the final study visit to determine the percentage of participants who continued to wear contact lenses after study conclusion. The factors associated with continued contact lens wear and differences in behaviors between the children and teens were also determined to provide insights to practitioners who provide refractive correction for patients in those age groups.

Methods

Three months after the CLIP Study completion, participants and parents returned mailed surveys that assessed post-study lens purchase and symptoms related to contact lens wear if contact lenses wear had been continued. Responses were compared between the children and teens using χ² or Fisher's exact test.

Results

Almost 92% of the surveys were returned. Eighty percent of teens’ parents reported purchasing lenses after the study, vs. 63% of the children's parents (p = 0.02). Symptoms reported at the last study visit were not significantly associated with future purchase, though there was a trend towards more light sensitivity in those who did not purchase more contact lenses (23.1% vs. 11.8%). Satisfaction with contact lenses was high among both those purchasing additional contact lenses and those who did not. Both children and teens reported similar frequencies of symptoms such as burning, itching or tearing eyes 3 months following study completion. Teens reported having contact-lens-related dry eyes more frequently than children.

Conclusions

A large proportion of children and an even higher proportion of teens continued wearing their lenses 3 months after completing the CLIP Study. Children and teens reported similar contact lens comfort and low frequencies of most symptoms, though teens experienced more dry-eye symptoms. Overall, reports of symptoms in this sample were lower than had been reported in adult populations by other investigators.