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. 2022 Dec;45(6):101718.
doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2022.101718. Epub 2022 May 23.

The impact of COVID-19 on soft contact lens wear in established European and US markets

Manbir Nagra  1 , Neil Retallic  2 , Shehzad A Naroo  3
Affiliations

The impact of COVID-19 on soft contact lens wear in established European and US markets

Manbir Nagra et al. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To characterise changes in soft contact lens wearing habits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A detailed online questionnaire was circulated to individuals aged 40-70 years, during the period April to May 2021. Data sampling took place in the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA), Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Only data pertaining to individuals who were soft contact lens wearers were included. Data were extracted for questions relating to contact lens wearing habits pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and expectations for future lens wear beyond the pandemic.

Results: Seven-hundred and twenty-eight individuals were identified as soft contact lens wearers of which six-hundred and nineteen wore a combination of contact lenses and spectacles. Most respondents indicated contact lens wear times had either remained the same (57.3%) or increased (9.8%) during the pandemic. The country with the greatest proportion of respondents decreasing wear time during COVID-19 was the UK (45.3%), and the least in the Netherlands (20.0%). The primary cause of decreased lens wear was attributed to leaving the home less often (70.0%), and the second most common reason due to concerns about hygiene (10.8%). Most respondents (83.9%), however, expressed a desire to return to pre-pandemic wear times once the pandemic was over.

Conclusions: Practitioner concerns about contact lens market recovery ought to be assuaged by the survey outcomes which show most individuals to have maintained lens wear during the pandemic. In view of the continued lens wear, as and when restrictions ease, ECPs may wish to encourage patients to return for routine check-ups that may have been missed due to the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Compliance; Contact lens; Pandemic; Patient preferences.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Neil Retallic is an employee of Menicon Co. Ltd.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Respondent perception of whether contact lens wear had increased, decreased, or remained the same during the pandemic (n = 728); individuals who wore a combination of spectacles and contact lenses (n = 619) and those who exclusively wore contact lenses (n = 109).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Respondent perception of whether contact lens wear had increased, decreased, or remained the same during the pandemic (n = 728); data for individuals who habitually wore a combination of spectacles and contact lenses and those who exclusively wore contact lenses.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Country specific data for the decline in proportion of respondents wearing contact lenses for at least 60% of the time, pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 619); data for individuals who wore a combination of spectacles and contact lenses only.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Global age group data for the change in proportion of respondents wearing contact lenses vs. spectacles, pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 619); data for individuals wearing a combination of spectacles and contact lenses. Positive/negative values denote the relative increase/decrease in balance of CL vs. spec wear.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Main reason for reducing contact lens wear during the pandemic from all respondents (n = 240).
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Main reason for reducing contact lens wear during the pandemic from all respondents by country (n = 240).
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Future contact lens wearing intent amongst males and females.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Future contact lens wearing intent by country.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Future wearing intent by age group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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