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Adults have more contact lens-related dry eye complaints than children who wear contacts.
Children who wear contact lenses have fewer dry eye complaints than adult wearers, according to a new study.
Researchers recruited 94 pediatric contact lens wearers, ages 8 to 14. All subjects completed the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire (CLDWQ) short form, a survey designed to diagnose dry eyes by obtaining information on the frequency of dryness symptoms and light sensitivity within the first two hours of contact lens wear, in the middle of the day and at the end of a full day of lens wear.
The survey responses and composite scores obtained from the children were compared with those from adult contact lens wearers reported in other published scientific literature.
Analysis of the CLDEQ results revealed that 4.3 percent of the pediatric contact lens wearers were categorized as having dry eyes, compared with 56.2 percent of adult contact lens wearers who completed the questionnaire in other studies.
The study authors concluded that children who wear contact lenses have fewer complaints about dry eyes than do adult contact lens wearers, which may be due to a more robust tear film, differences in the reporting of symptoms or differences in the modality of contact lens wear (i.e., daily wear vs. extended wear; use of disposable contact lenses vs. reusable lenses).
The research was conducted in part at The Ohio State University College of Optometry. A full report of the study appears in this month’s issue of Eye & Contact Lens.
