Survey of the use of contact lenses in a group ofuniversity students in Tianjin, China

Abstract

A survey consisting of a questionnaire, an interview and an anterior eye examination was conducted on 88 university students wearing contact lenses to identify and estimate the extent of clinical problems encountered with the use of contact lenses in Tianjin. In general, hygiene was poor and trachoma is a frequently seen condition, but these were not considered to be contraindications to contact lens wear. Six complications were assessed during the slit-lamp examination: conjunctival hyperaemia, limbal injection, giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC, follicular changes in the lower tarsal conjunctiva, corneal vascularisation and corneal staining. The most commonly seen complication was GPC but this may have been due to pre-existing trachoma rather than to contact lens wear. The other complications assessed may also, in part, have been due to pre-existing trachoma but, in general, the prevalence of complications appeared to be higher in extended wear contact lenses than in daily wear contact lenses.