Soft CL wearers age 15-25 had twice the rate of complications including corneal infiltrative events (CIE) than younger (8 to 13 years) or older (26 to 33 years) wearers. Besides age, other risk factors associated with a CIE were years of lens wear, silicone hydrogel materials, extended wear and the use of multipurpose solutions.
The CLAY group used patient-reported outcomes techniques to develop a standardized Contact Lens Risk Survey (CLRS) to self-assess many known and presumed risk factors for CL-related complications. The CLRS tool was able to identify significant risk factors for CIEs including extended wear, reusable lens wear, internet purchase and “topping off.” Findings from these studies include that college-age CL wearers are more likely to report fewer nights of sleep, more colds/flu, higher stress levels, showering and napping with CLs, and “reactive replacement” of their CLs.
This prospective pilot study found that patients with CIEs were more likely to harbor gram negative bioburden on the ocular surface and contact lens. Larger samples are needed to explore relationships between the CLRS and microbial bioburden.
A collaboration between CLAY and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a significant lack of awareness regarding risks of water exposure in both soft and rigid CL wearers.
CLRS Risk scores discriminated between SCL wearers presenting with corneal inflammatory events (CIEs) and healthy age-, sex-, and site-matched controls.
The study explored whether targeted patient education will influence risk behaviors in SCL wearers presenting with CIEs and in healthy age-, sex-, and site-matched controls.
