Age and Events That Interrupt Contact Lens Wear in Youth

Abstract

Purpose: : To describe age as an independent risk factor for ocular events that interrupt soft contact lens (SCL) wear in youth.

Methods: : A retrospective chart review of SCL wearers aged 8-33 years was conducted at 6 academic eye care centers in North America. Data was extracted from visits between 2006 and 2009. Clinical records for events resulting in interruption of SCL wear were scanned after de-identification and masking for age and lens power. Diagnoses were adjudicated by masked reviewers. Survival analysis examined the effect of selected covariates on the risk of an event with age.

Results: : Chart review of 3,549 SCL wearers, 14,327 visits, with 4,642 years of follow-up yielded 522 events which interrupted contact lens wear among 426 wearers. The percentage of visits with an event was less than 3% at each end of the age distribution (8-13 year olds and 30-33 year olds). Among the 14-25 year olds, there was an event in approximately 5% of visits with the maximum risk among 20-22 year olds. The percentage of events hovered around 3.5% for the 26-29 year olds. Lens replacement schedule (p<0.0001) was significant in the multivariate model, with lowest risk for daily disposable lenses.

Conclusions: : These results suggest that the risk of events that interrupt SCL wear peaks in adolescence and early adulthood. Relative to teens and young adults, patients under 14 years old presented with fewer interruptions in lens wear.

Keywords: contact lens • cornea: clinical science • aging