Factors Associated With Soft Contact Lens Replacement Noncompliance Of Wearers In Windhoek

ABSTRACT

Approximately hundred and twenty five million people worldwide wear contact lenses (Barr, 2006). The contact lens market is increasing at an alarming rate globally and Namibia is no exception, but there are no known national statistics. Soft contact lens wearers do not comply to their specific lens replacement schedule and continue to present with contact lens discomfort and complications yet they are avoidable. Some of the resulting complications if not treated eventually lead to blindness. Noncompliance leads to deterioration in the wearer‟s health, increasing the amount of time they need services, increase in the time it takes to treat them and increases health expenditure. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the frequency and factors that are associated with soft contact lens replacement noncompliance of wearers in Windhoek. An analytical cross sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was conducted on voluntary participants. The data was analysed using Epi Info 7 software and setting p values of 0.05 for statistical significance. A total of 118 participants were enrolled into the study. A total of 80% (n=94) were females and 20% (n=24) were male. A total of (n=49) 41.5% of the soft contact lens wearers did not comply to their specific lens replacement schedule. The factors that were associated with noncompliance were gender (p=0.01), age (p=0.012) and employment status (p=0.020). Factors that were not associated with noncompliance were home language, race, education level, income, smoking, type of contact lens worn and number of years of contact lens wear. The most common replacement modality of contact lenses in Windhoek is monthly wear, and most of the participants had worn their contact lenses for an average of 1-3 years. The majority of the participants had also been for their last check up between a year or two ago.