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

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 7; p. e0264659
• Main Authors: Ezinne, Ngozika E, Bhattarai, Dipesh, Ekemiri, Kingsley K, Harbajan, Gabrielle N, Crooks, Anesha C, Mashige, Khathutshelo P, Ilechie, Alex A, Zeried, Ferial M, Osuagwu, Uchechukwu L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 22-07-2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; Contact lenses; Data collection; Demographics; Demography; Earth Sciences; Error correction; Eye; Females; Gender; Health aspects; Hydrogels; Males; Medical records; Medicine and Health Sciences; Optometry; Patients; People and Places; Permeability; Physical Sciences; Refractive errors; Research and Analysis Methods; Sex differences; Social aspects; Social Sciences; Wear; Young adults; Trinidad and Tobago; Trinidad & Tobago; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264659

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). 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. About half of the CL wearers used them for fashion (more among those aged 18 to 30 years, 61.0%), therapeutic (more among 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). 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.