Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on contact lens wear in Spain.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the behaviour of contact lens (CL) wearers in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An anonymized web-based questionnaire was used to assess demographics, CL history, and activity, CL wear habits and perceived risk of infection due to CL wear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results A total of 737 participants with an average age of 27.4 (±9.3) years completed the online questionnaire. The vast majority of respondents were soft CL wearers and reported at least two years of CL wear. Patients concerns about the increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to CL wear (40.6% of participants) were significantly related (χ2(1) = 11.195, p  Conclusion There is a relationship between the perceived risk of infection and CL dropout during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a tendency to change the CL frequency of wear, with an increase in occasional CL wear. During the ongoing pandemic, eye care practitioners should reinforce CL patient education to minimize the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and CL-related complications requiring clinical care.