The Impact of Contact Lens Discomfort on Symptoms of Ocular Pain and Quality of Life

Abstract

Purpose : Contact lens discomfort (CLD) is the most common reason of decreased wearing time and discontinuation of contact lens wear (CLW), affecting the quality of life (QoL). This study aims to evaluate the impact of CLD on QoL.

Methods : In this prospective, cross-sectional, controlled, single center study, 91 subjects were recruited and divided into 5 groups: healthy controls (HC, n=18), asymptomatic CLW (ACLW, n=18), symptomatic CLW (SCLW, n=19), intolerant CLW (ICLW, n=18), and subjects with neuropathic corneal pain (NCP, n=18). Ocular pain was assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and QoL was assessed using a validated ocular pain assessment survey (OPAS, 0-10). Only subjects with completed questionnaires (n=88) were analyzed and data are presented as mean±SD and statistical significance was defined as p<0.05.

Results : Forty-six males and 42 females, aged 39.7±13.0 years completed the study. SCLW and ICLW groups reported higher pain scores (2.3±2.9 and 2.4±2.1, respectively) compared to HC and ACLW (0.0±0.0, both) (p<0.001), which were lower, compared to pain levels in patients with NCP (5.4±2.7) (p<0.001). Assessment of QoL in SCLW and ICLW yielded higher scores, in sub-scales affecting visual function (reading/computer use (2.4±3.1, 3.1±3.3), driving/watching TV (2.2±3.0, 2.5±3.0) and mood (1.7±2.4, 2.9±3.5) compared to HC and ACLW (0.0±0.0 for both) (p<0.001), which were however lower than QoL changes in patients with NCP (p<0.01) (Table 1).

Conclusions : CLD has a significant impact on QoL in SCLW and ICLW patients. Sub-scales regarding visual function and mood are affected the most.

This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.

 

Table 1. Comparison of sub-scales of QoL dimension of OPAS. (*: p<0.05 compared to HC, †: p<0.05 compared to ACLW, ‡: p<0.05 compared to SCLW, #: p<0.05 compared to ICLW)