Change in Risk Score and Behaviors of Soft Contact Lens Wearers After Targeted Patient Education.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if targeted education can influence the behaviors and scores of soft contact lens (SCL) wearers via the Contact Lens Risk Survey (CLRS). METHODS: This was a multicenter, prospective, case-control study. Cases were symptomatic red eye SCL wearers (age, 18-39 years), and controls were age , sex, and site matched. Participants completed the CLRS and were provided targeted patient education at three time points: baseline, one, and six months. Change in scores and behaviors were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Forty-one cases and 71 controls were analyzed. The mean risk score (mean±SE) from baseline to follow-up improved (reduced) for all participants (-1.96±0.73; P =0.01), mostly driven by the improvement among cases (-2.55±1.32; P =0.05). Case subjects reported a decrease in frequency of wearing lenses while showering (-0.32±0.07; P <0.0001), discarding lens solution (-0.13±0.06; P =0.03), and rinsing lenses with tap water (-0.19±0.08; P =0.02) after targeted education. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted patient education can influence some behaviors of SCL wearers, especially those who experienced a red eye event. Further study is needed to determine how to improve other risk behaviors and whether these changes are sustained long term.

Assessment of a Novel Lens Surface Treatment for Scleral Lens Wearers With Dry Eye.

OBJECTIVES: To compare lens comfort and dry eye (DE) symptoms of DE scleral lens (SL) wearers fit with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based surface-treated and untreated SLs. Dry eye signs, comfortable SL wearing time (WT), vision quality, and lens-related ocular surface changes were also assessed. METHODS: Twenty-one SL wearers with DE and SL discomfort were enrolled in a double-masked crossover study. Participants were randomized to wear their untreated or PEG (Tangible Hydra-PEG, Tangible Science; Redwood, CA) surface-treated SL of the same parameters first for 30 days. Lens comfort, DE symptoms, and ocular surface assessments were measured at baseline, after the first test period, and after the crossover. Comfortable lens WT and frequency of foggy vision were recorded. Comparisons were assessed using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: Polyethylene glycol-treated SL wear resulted in significantly improved: lens comfort (P=0.003), DE symptoms (P=0.004), corneal sodium fluorescein staining (P=0.01), temporal conjunctival lissamine green staining (P=0.01), lid wiper epitheliopathy (P=0.002), conjunctival papillae (P=0.003), frequency of foggy vision (P=0.002), tear break-up time (TBUT) (P=0.01), and comfortable lens WT (P=0.002) compared with untreated wear. There were no significant changes between treated and untreated lens wear for TBUT over the SL (P=0.14) and nasal conjunctival lissamine green staining (P=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Polyethylene glycol surface-treated SLs provided improved comfort, reduced DE symptoms, and reduced ocular surface compromise compared with untreated SLs for participants with DE.

The contact Lens risk survey to assess risk of soft contact lens-related inflammatory events.

PURPOSE: To test the Contact Lens Assessment in Youth Contact Lens Risk Survey (CLRS) scoring algorithm in soft contact lens (SCL) wearers presenting with SCL-related adverse events and healthy matched controls. METHODS: This prospective case-control study compared CLRS responses in SCL wearers presenting with symptomatic red eyes (Cases) with age-, sex- and site-matched healthy SCL wearers (Controls) at six locations across North America. Responses to individual questions from Cases and Controls were analyzed using either the Pearson, Mantel-Haenszel chi-square, or Fisher's exact test. Differences in the CLRS scores were compared using t-tests. RESULTS: A total of 171 SCL wearers were enrolled (n = 57 Cases, 114 Controls). Cases were adjudicated to consensus and classified as contact lens-related serious and significant (S&S) or non-serious events. S&S Cases scored significantly higher on the CLRS (56.1 ±â€¯11.1) than either their matched Controls (44.3 ±â€¯11.1) (P <  0.001) or the non-Serious Cases (44.8± 12.8 P =  0.002). Scores of non-serious Cases were not significantly different than scores of their Controls (43.4 ± 10.7, P = 0.33) CONCLUSIONS: The CLRS scoring algorithm discriminated between SCL wearers presenting with S&S CL-related adverse events from healthy SCL wearers and those with non-serious events. This survey and scoring system could help practitioners identify patients at greatest risk for CL-related adverse events and support targeted interventions aimed at reducing risk behaviors.