Contact induced dry eye

Within the general population, moderate dryeye problems can be triggered by many factors including: nutrition, ageing, medications and environmental conditions. While as low as 10% of noncontact lens wearers under the age of 60 are reported to suffer from dry eye; dryness is one of the most common problems reported by contact lens wearers and in extreme cases can lead to contact lens drop out.¹

To better understand the problems of contact lens induced dry eye (CLIDE) in Sweden, we sent out a survey to 25 leading Swedish contact lens fitters with the following questions:²

Q: What percentage of your contact lens wearing patients suffer from dry eye symptoms?

Q: What is your favourite prescription for solving dry-eye symptoms?

Q: If you ask your CLIDE patients to use artificial tears, do you prefer preserved or nonpreserved products?

The results from the Swedish survey were calculated and compared to results from a similar study completed in Germany.³

Ninety-two percent (n=23) of the contact lens specialists felt that high water (>50% water) soft contact lenses were the main contributor to CLIDE. In the similar German study over 40% of respondents felt the same.

Regarding which type of artificial tear is preferred, 96% (n=24) preferred to prescribe a nonpreserved product. The German study showed very similar results.