The Pattern of Wearing Contact Lenses in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Aim: To investigate the perspective of contact lenses (CL) wearers regarding many aspects related to CLs, including hygiene, storage, and the method of purchasing CLs. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study that included CL wearers aged 16 years and above. Participants were recruited from contact lens clinics at tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Subjects and Methods: A designed survey questionnaire was administered to participants. Results: A total of 227 participants aged 32.94 years (standard deviation ± 10.29) were included. Many participants reported that feeling comfortable while wearing CLs was the main factor influencing the decision to purchase certain brands of CLs. Cosmetic and finding appropriate CL colors and financial factors were influenced by the price of the CLs. An excellent result was found in hygiene, as most of the participants washed their hands before handling CLs. About 46% of the participants reported cleaning and scrubbing CLs before wearing CLs. However, most of the participants reported that they always wear CLs while sleeping, and about half of the participants wore CLs in steam baths, while 67.40% of the participants wore CLs while showering and/or swimming. Most participants reported using the CLs kit’s solution to clean CLs. Half of the participants reported never reading any awareness materials before wearing CLs. The most common complications reported by participants were dryness, foreign body sensation, and redness. Conclusions: The Saudi population’s wearing CLs was found to be very good, with clear awareness among CL wearers about the possible complications that may occur.