Contact lens procurement and usage habits among adults in Sudan

Possible viral agents to consider in the differential diagnosis of blepharoconjunctivitis

BACKGROUND

Blepharoconjunctivitis poses a diagnostic challenge due to its diverse etiology, including viral infections. Blepharoconjunctivits can be acute or chronic, self-limiting, or needing medical therapy.

AIM

To review possible viral agents crucial for accurate differential diagnosis in cases of blepharoconjunctivitis.

METHODS

The PubMed database was searched for records relating to viral blepharoconjunctivitis. The search string generated was "("virally"[All Fields] OR "virals"[All Fields] OR "virology"[MeSH Terms] OR "virology"[All Fields] OR "viral"[All Fields]) AND "Blepharoconjunctivitis"[All Fields]".

RESULTS

A total of 24 publications were generated from the search string. Reference lists from each relevant article were also searched for more information and included in this review. Viral etiologies such as adenovirus, herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are frequently implicated. Adenoviral infections manifest with follicular conjunctivitis and preauricular lymphadenopathy, often presenting as epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. HSV and VZV infections can result in herpetic keratitis and may exhibit characteristic dendritic corneal ulcers. EBV, although less common, can cause unilateral or bilateral follicular conjunctivitis, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Other potential viral agents, such as enteroviruses and molluscum contagiosum virus, should also be considered, especially in pediatric cases.

CONCLUSION

Prompt recognition of these viral etiologies is essential for appropriate management and prevention of complications. Thus, a thorough understanding of the clinical presentation, epidemiology, and diagnostic modalities is crucial for accurate identification and management of viral blepharoconjunctivitis.

How Can We Better Inform Patients of the Importance of Contact Lens Compliance?: Current Perspectives

Compliance with contact lens care is important for successful contact lens wear and for minimizing the risk of complications related to lens wear. There are many components of overall lens care guidelines that may potentially be disregarded, forgotten, or misunderstood. Literature has reported copious data on rates of poor compliance for separate lens care recommendations. Knowing the areas of contact lens care where lens wearers perform poorly is helpful when creating strategies for improving patient education. As science evolves and new best-practices are determined, eye care providers must be engaged in educating new lens wearers and reeducating existing wearers. It is vital to make wearers mindful of proper lens care and why proper lens care should be important to them. Various educational strategies can help practitioners to communicate with their patients more effectively. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss studies of noncompliance with contact lens wear; consequences of these noncompliant behaviors; and studies of lens care education which were found with a literature search. The resulting discussion also includes strategies to improve compliance with patient contact lens wear.

Compliance to contact lens wear and care among Jordanian adults

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate compliance to contact lens (CL) wear and care routines among adults in Jordan.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire administered by an interviewer was conducted among adults in Jordan between the months of May and July of the year 2022.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult (≥ 18 years) contact lens wearers attending work establishments, universities and shopping centers in the cities of Amman, Aqaba and Irbid in Jordan.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Compliance to CL wear and care in addition to CL hygiene habits were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 834 (600 women) participants were included in the study with an age range of 18 to 55 years (average; 25.49 ± 7.75). Soft spherical CLs for myopia correction were worn by 45.6% of the sample, followed by cosmetic CLs (CCL) (43%). Highest compliance rate (99%) was calculated for not sharing CL with others and the lowest rate (24%) was for cleaning the CL case, with an average compliance rate of 72.25% for the sample with all habits surveyed. Medium compliance rates were related to following instructions of CL solution use including avoiding using expired solution or avoiding topping off. Risk factors for non-compliant behaviors included CCL wear, purchasing CL from beauty centers and being 25 years of age or younger.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study which was performed in a non-clinical setting showed that women and young adults comprise the majority of CL wearers in Jordan. Participants were compliant with most CL wear and care behaviors except for cleaning the CL case and attending aftercare visits. Many CL wearers also reported purchasing lenses from beauty centers and online without consulting CL practitioners. There is a need for patient education regarding the hygiene of the CL case, and the necessity for consulting the CL practitioner for the appropriate type of CL including proper wear and care regimen.

Demographic profiles of contact lens wearers and their association with lens wear characteristics in Trinidad and Tobago: A retrospective study

Purpose

Contact lenses (CL) remain a popular mode of refractive error correction globally and in the Caribbean, mostly among young people. However, no data on the characteristics of the CL population wearers in the Caribbean is available. This study reported on the characteristics of CL wearers and the associated factors in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).

Methods

This retrospective study reviewed the clinical records of 243 CL wearers who attended the University of the West Indies (UWI) optometry clinic between 2017 and 2018. Data on their demographic profiles, CL wearing characteristics including lens type, material, purpose of wear, replacement schedule and lens care systems were extracted and analyzed. The associations between the demographic characteristics and CL wearing characteristics were also determined.

Results

About half of the CL wearers used them for fashion (more among those aged 18 to 30 years, 61.0%), therapeutic (more among those <18 years, 43.8%, P = 0.001) and refractive error correction purposes (more in those >40 years, P = 0.001). Females were more likely to use CLs for fashion compared with males (67.0% versus 40.7%). Age (P<0.0005) and gender (P = 0.030) were associated with the lens materials. Those aged 18–30 years were more likely use hydrogels compared with the younger ones (64.1% versus 25.0%). Rigid gas permeable (RGP) CL use was more common in males than females (21.8% versus 10.9%, P = 0.031). Daily disposables were predominantly used by younger respondents (18–30 years old, 31.3%, P < 0.001) and more in females than males (66.7% vs 49.4%, P = 0.040).

Conclusion

The study found that the CL appears to be more commonly worn for fashion in younger females and for refractive error correction in older males. Age, gender, and employment status were the main determinants of lens wear among respondents attending the university clinic in T&T.