Influence of replacement schedule and care regimen on patient comfort and satisfaction with daily wear frequent-replacement contact lenses.

Purpose. This study examines what effects replacement schedule and care regimen have on overall patient satisfaction with daily wear frequent-replacement contact lenses. Methods. Over 3000 patients were recruited from 313 ophthalmologic practices in France to participate in a 1-month prospective observational clinical study. Subjects included 2108 experienced and 957 novice users of the predominantly prescribed soft contact lenses and care systems in France. All subjects were required to use ACUVUE 2 (Vistakon, Jacksonville, FL) brand contact lenses, replaced once every 2 weeks, and using COMPLETE brand multipurpose solution (Allergan, Irvine, CA) during the study. Practitioners assessed lens fit, and refractive and ocular physiological status. Subjects were surveyed about various subjective attributes at the baseline examination and at the end of the study. Results. Patient satisfaction with the test lenses and care system was found to be excellent for the majority of patients, as evidenced by high subjective satisfaction ratings and the desire of approximately 9 of 10 subjects to continue using the test products after completing the study. Significant improvements were noted with the test lenses and solution compared to previous lenses and solutions for overall satisfaction and comfort variables. Conclusions. Replacing lenses once every 2 weeks combined with a multipurpose care system incorporating ingredients designed for lens conditioning contributed to significant improvements in lens wearing comfort. Thus, lens replacement frequency and lens-and-solution compatibility should be considered in addition to lens material and design when prescribing contact lenses for new or existing wearers.