Global trends in daily disposable contact lens fitting: 2000-2023
The prescribing of daily disposable contact lenses has significantly increased from 2000 to 2023, reflecting advancements in lens designs and expanded options, with notable differences in usage patterns between countries and genders, according to a study.
An annual survey on contact lens prescribing was distributed to eye care practitioners in up to 71 countries over the period 2000 to 2023. Data from 265,106 daily wear soft lens fits in 20 countries, were analyzed regarding daily disposable lens fitting.
The study found a significant increase in the prescribing of daily disposable lenses over time, rising from 17.1% of daily wear soft lens fits in 2000 to 46.7% in 2023 (P < 0.0001). A higher percentage of males (37.2%) were fitted with daily disposable lenses compared to females (35.2%) (P < 0.0001). On average, daily disposable lens wearers were slightly younger at fitting than reusable soft lens wearers (31.0 years vs 31.2 years, respectively) (P < 0.0001), although this difference is not clinically significant.
Among 50,240 daily wear soft lenses fitted recently (2019-2023), the prescribed replacement frequencies were: daily – 47%, monthly – 42%, 1-2 weekly – 9%, and ≥3 monthly – 2%.
Reference
Morgan PB, Efron N, Woods CA, et al. International trends in daily disposable contact lens prescribing (2000-2023): An update. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2024;102259. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2024.102259. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38951051.
