Influence of air quality on the selection tendency of contact lens wearers

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate whether air quality influences ocular comfort when wearing contact lenses and the selection tendency of myopic populations who wears contact lenses. Methods Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred and twenty corneal contact lens wearers to understand whether the respondents would reduce or stop the use of contact lenses according to air quality and to evaluate and compare their ocular status under different air quality conditions. Results Forty-three point eight percent of the respondents were concerned about reduced oxygen permeability of contact lenses and increased contact lens-associated complications caused by the adsorption and accumulation of haze particles on the contact lens. Thirteen point four percent of the respondents stated that they would stop using contact lenses during moderate to severe air pollution and switch to glasses. Twenty-eight point six percent of respondents remarked that they would reduce the use of contact lenses depending on the situation during moderate to severe air pollution. However, this study did not find statistically significant differences in the ocular comfort while wearing contact lenses and in the eye scores of contact lens wearers under different air quality conditions. Conclusion Air quality has an impact on the selection tendency of some contact lens wearers. However, whether moderate or more severe air pollution causes ocular discomfort or contact lens-associated complications in contact lens wearers awaits further investigation.