Contact Lens Spectrum Supplements

Special Edition 2016

Contact Lens Spectrum

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C O N T A C T L E N S S P E C T R U M S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 2 0 1 6 c l s p e c t r u m . c o m 24 poor air quality. Only 39% of participants thought prob- lems were caused by their contact lenses, saying that the lenses were dirty or dry or "slipping around." Even in this group, however, some people pointed a finger at themselves, saying they had been wearing their lenses too long. One of the most telling responses in this survey re- veals a communication gap between patient and prac- titioner. When asked if they had ever mentioned their blurry or fluctuating vision to their eyecare profession- als, 62% of the participants said they had not. For symp- toms of dry eyes, 49% did not mention they had the symptom. Those with tired eyes were even less likely to report this symptom, with 74% failing to mention it to their eyecare professionals. These responses shed light on what patients are ex- periencing and highlight an important opportunity to develop communication strategies to improve their con- tact lens-wearing experience. EXPAND YOUR DIALOGUE A recent survey of eyecare professionals found that the preferred method for diagnosing dry eye in contact lens wearers is symptoms assessment (Ablamowicz and Nichols, 2016). Standardized surveys, such as the Ocular Surface Disease Index, play an important part in identi- fying patients who have experienced various symptoms. The results of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the evaluation summarized here highlight the substantial differences in contact lens wearers' recollections of their symptoms versus their actual experience when tracking them. Contact lens wearers also do not readily discuss their symptoms with their eyecare professionals. This may be associated with the feeling that some symptoms are in- dividual problems related to their environment and not VISUAL PERFORMANCE Figure 5. Top 5 occasions and coping strategies when blurry or fluctuating vision occurs. Figure 6. Top 5 occasions and coping strategies when tired eyes occur. Figure 7. Participants who experienced blurry or fluctuating vision, dry eyes, or tired eyes expressed interest in a product that could prevent or reduce these symptoms. Ex p a n d i n g t h e d i a l o g u e t o ta r g e t e xp e r i e n ce s o f t y p i c a l w e a r e r s m a y r e v e a l tr o u b l e s o m e s y m p t o m s t h e p a t i e n t h a s n e v e r men t i o n e d .

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