Assessment of contact lens wearers’ attitude toward contact lens wear and care during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: A cross-sectional online survey

Autor: May M. Bakkar, Eman A. Alzghoul
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Contact Lens and Anterior Eye
Contact Lens & Anterior Eye
ISSN: 1367-0484
DOI: 10.1016/j.clae.2021.01.005
Popis: Highlights • The majority of participants reported using their contact lenses during the pandemic. • Contact lens wearers who continued lens wear during the pandemic have reported improved contact lens hygiene habits during COVID-19. • Contact lens wearers who discontinued lens wear during the pandemic have reported decreased social activities as their main reason. • Eye care practitioners should adopt alternative approaches for contact lens education to ensure patients’ compliance with CL wear and care during the pandemic.
Aim COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Several reports have provided conflicting recommendations regarding contact lenses (CL) use during COVID-19, causing confusion among CL wearers. The aim of this study is to assess CL wearers’ attitudes toward CL wear and care during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based cross-sectional online survey was used to assess the participants’ attitude toward CL wear and care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey layout was based on Google form® specifically developed for CL wearers. Demographic characteristics and CL history and profile were also collected for each participant. Results A total of 196 CL wearers completed the online survey with an average age was 26 (± 4.1) and 90.8 % of participants were females. As reported by the participants, social media was the main source of information about COVID-19. 38.8 % of the study population reported stopping CL wear during the pandemic. The main stated reason for lens discontinuation was decreased social activities during the pandemic. 61.2 % of participants continued lens wear, with the majority reported considerable changes in their behaviors toward CL wear and care during the pandemic. This includes reinforced hands cleaning before and after lens wear, disinfecting of CLs and CL case and less frequent CL aftercare visits. Conclusion The majority of the study population have continued CL wear during the pandemic. Contact lens wearers reported profound changes in attitudes toward CL wear including improved care and maintenance. Additionally, changes in CL purchase habit have been reported with more tendency for online purchase. CL cessation has been associated with several perceived reasons mainly attributed to reduced outdoor activity and fear of ocular infection. Levels of compliance among CL wearers should be assessed and reinforced during the current pandemic and similar lockdown situation to reduce possible CL-related complications and dropout.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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