AWARENESS OF CONTACT LENS WEAR AND CARE AMONG FEMALE MEDICAL STUDENTS IN TAIBAH UNIVERSITY, MEDINAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Hanan A. Neyaz, Hana A. Aboauf*, Reham M. Kharabah, Sarah K. Alrasheed, Mohammed A. Kareem, Marwa M. Zalat

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Recently, contact lenses have become quite popular as a source of an optical correction especially among Saudi females. Objectives: This study aims to assess awareness of contact lens wear, and to identify the most common complications of improper contact lenses use among female medical students in Taibah University, Medinah, Saudi Arabia Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out at medical college of Taibah University in Al-Madinah Al-Monawarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from May 1st to May30th 2016 using semi structured questionnaire. Results: Most participants (41%) were using contact lens for cosmetic reasons, (29%) for a refractive errors and the remaining for both reasons. Concerning contact lens use and care, about 64.8 % of the participants prefer wearing contact lenses, compared to 35.2% prefer wearing glasses. 9.3% are often using it weekly and 16.7% are using it daily. Regarding the daily usage 56.8 % of the whole studied sample are wearing contact lens for <8 hs per day, 39.5 % among 8-12 hs and only 3.7% are using it for more than 12 hours. Regarding hygienic practices, majority of the respondents 96.3% clean their contact lenses by lens solution comparing to 3.7% using only tap water. About 75.9% of the participants mentioned that they buy contact lens from the optical shops, 19.8 % from cosmetic center and only 4.3% are buying it from hospitals. Acknowledging about contact lenses complications, a total of 80.9% answered that chronic inflammation of ocular surface and lids is a risk factor for developing complications, comparing to 3.7% who answered no and the rest 15.4% answered I don’t know. Conclusions: this study concludes that majority of participants did not have the proper knowledge nor the appropriate practice toward the using of contact lens, and majority of participants had chronic inflammation of ocular surface and lids which is a risk factor for developing complications, thus further educational programs and national campaigns are needed to increase the public awareness toward the proper use of contact lens.

Keywords: Awareness, Female, Contact Lens, Saudi Arabia.