Attitudes Towards the Use of Silicone Hydrogel Daily Disposable Contact Lenses (Verofilcon A) Among Neophyte Wearers: Results of a Short-Term Evaluation

Purpose: To evaluate the intention to continue wearing silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lenses (CLs) in verofilcon A (PRECISION1 ® , Alcon Laboratories, USA) among neophyte wearers after a short period of use and to identify potential factors influencing this intention. Methods: A prospective, single-masked, single-arm clinical trial, was conducted at the University of Milano-Bicocca on ninety-five ametropic non-contact lens wearers (52 females and 43 males; mean age ± SD: 25.4 ± 5.3 years; range: 18– 40). Participants were fitted in verofilcon A daily disposable CLs, and after receiving training on lens application and removal, were instructed to wear them for 14 days (at least 5 days a week, minimum 5 hours a day). At the follow-up visit, participants completed a series of subjective evaluations (0– 100 visual analogue scales; VAS) referring to their experience over the 14-day with lens insertion and removal, comfort at insertion, end of day comfort, quality of vision, and overall satisfaction. They also rated their intention to continue CLs wear (0– 100 VAS scale) and indicated their main reasons for doing so. Results: The mean (± SD) CL power prescribed was − 1.90± 1.42 D (range +2.00 to − 6.00) for the right eye and − 1.86± 1.43 D (range +1.50 to − 6.00) for the left eye. At the follow-up visit, monocular visual acuity with CLs was − 0.15± 0.08 logMAR in both eyes and − 0.20± 0.07 logMAR binocularly. Hierarchical regression analysis incorporating motivation-to-continue wear variables accounted for 57% of the variance. Three motivational factors (aesthetic, convenience, and sport) were significant predictors of the intention to continue CL wear. Conclusion: Providing ametropic non-CL wearers with a structured, evidence-based CL fitting experience can be an effective strategy to promote long-term CL adoption. Behavioral intention to continue daily disposable CL wear was mainly influenced by motivational factors related to aesthetics, convenience and sport activities. Keywords: daily disposable contact lenses, silicone hydrogels, attitudes