Contact lens prescribing pattern in India—2011

Abstract

To understand the pattern of prescribing contact lenses (CL) among Indian practitioners. Survey forms were sent to 257 practitioners across the country to collect information about their last 10 CL fits, location and type of practice, years of experience and educational qualification. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine any association of various factors to the lens fitting pattern and chi-square test was used to compare proportions. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.16. CL fitting details from 227 practitioners were acquired representing a total of 2270 fits. The mean age of patients was 26.8±7.4 years and 67% of them were females. Ninety-eight percent of patients wore soft CL comprising 24% toric lenses. Ninety percent patients preferred disposable modality with 65% of these opting for monthly disposable lenses. Twenty-eight percent of the lenses dispensed were silicone hydrogel (SiH) lenses. Optometry practices located in metropolitan cities dispensed significantly higher numbers of disposable (p<0.001) and SiH lenses (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed Fellowship of International Association of Contact Lens Educators (FIACLE) (OR: 13.79, 95% CI: 2.61-72.70), post graduate degree (OR: 3.87, 95% CI: 0.87-17.12) and years of experience were directly associated with fitting of advanced CL. The CL prescribing patterns in India elicited from this survey suggest the dominance (90%) of prescribing of disposable soft CL. Higher level of education, greater experience and a FIACLE status were significantly associated with advanced fitting.