Patient noncompliance with wearing and replacement schedules of disposable contact lenses.

Background: Corneal ulcers related to contact lens wear are four to 15 times more likely to occur with extended wear lenses versus daily wear lenses. The introduction of disposable contact lenses raised hopes that this product would reduce complications related to contact lens wear. Such has proven not to be the case, especially when patients are noncompliant with the prescribed wear and care regimen.

Methods: The ordering patterns of a group of 145 patients wearing disposable contact lenses were monitored for a period of one year, 5 months in an attempt to identify those individuals who were potentially noncompliant in their wearing schedules.

Results: Up to 69 percent of the patients studied were identified as potentially noncompliant. A program to counsel and re-educate these patients about proper disposable contact lens wear was proposed.

Conclusions: Eye care professionals have a legal and ethical responsibility to provide appropriate follow-up care for patients. The ability to track ordering patterns of patients who wear disposable contact lenses provides a valuable tool to use in identifying patients who could be putting themselves at risk to develop complications related to contact lens wear.