Wearing Experience Research Articles

An exploratory study

PurposeThis study sets out to explore the application of psychological research methods (as yet not applied) in the fashion arena. The aim of this project is to quantify, formalise and explore the causal relationships between clothing style, preference, personality factors, emotions and mood with a view to a better understanding of the psychological profile of the fashion consumer.Design/methodology/approachUsing a uniformly composed sample of females, explorative quantitative research was carried out. Two sets of questionnaires were administered to the sample to examine emotion, mood and personality before trying on a set of eight garments categorized according to style; and again afterwards to examine emotion and mood while wearing each outfit. Photographs of participants were taken wearing each of the outfits. Participants then ranked the eight outfits in order of preference. SPSS analysis identified relationships and preference indicators.FindingsThe results indicated strong relationships between mood and significant relationships between three out of five personality factors and clothing style preference; mood was a significant predictor of preference, whilst personality was moderate.Research limitations/implicationsThe research methodology necessitated lengthy time commitments from the participants and therefore limited the sample size, making generalization difficult. Based on the findings, the research requires further exploration of methods for practical application with a larger sample size.Practical implicationsPersonality, emotion and mood were shown to be managed and reflected through clothing with implications for assistance in consumer clothing decisions, service training, and strategies for personal shoppers, market segmentation and design.Originality/valueThe methodology derived from a combination of research methods coupled with actual wearing experience, previously not studied together. This is original and demonstrates how important this combination is in order to fully appreciate the psychological profile of the fashion consumer.

The Incidence of Contact Lens–Related Microbial Keratitis in Australia

To establish the absolute risk of contact lens (CL)-related microbial keratitis, the incidence of vision loss and risk factors for disease. A prospective, 12-month, population-based surveillance study. New cases of CL-related microbial keratitis presenting in Australia over a 12-month period were identified through surveillance of all ophthalmic practitioners (numerator). Case detection was augmented by records' audits at major ophthalmic centers. The denominator (number of wearers of different CL types in the community) was established using a national telephone survey of 35,914 individuals. Cases and controls were interviewed by telephone to determine subject demographics and CL wear history. Visual outcomes were determined 6 months after the initial event. Annualized incidence and confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for different severities of disease and multivariable analysis was used in risk factor analysis. Annualized incidence (with CI) of disease and vision loss by CL type and wear modality and identification of independent risk factors. We identified 285 eligible cases of CL-related microbial keratitis and 1798 controls. In daily wear rigid gas-permeable CL wearers, the annualized incidence per 10,000 wearers was 1.2 (CI, 1.1-1.5); in daily wear soft CL wearers 1.9 (CI, 1.8-2.0); soft CL wearers (occasional overnight use) 2.2 (CI, 2.0-2.5); daily disposable CL wearers 2.0 (CI, 1.7-2.4); daily disposable CL wearers (occasional overnight use) 4.2 (CI, 3.1-6.6); daily wear silicone hydrogel CL wearers 11.9 (CI, 10.0-14.6); silicone hydrogel CL wearers (occasional overnight use) 5.5 (CI, 4.5-7.2); overnight wear soft CL wearers 19.5 (CI, 14.6-29.5) and in overnight wear of silicone hydrogel 25.4 (CI, 21.2-31.5). Loss of vision occurred in 0.6 per 10,000 wearers. Risk factors included overnight use, poor storage case hygiene, smoking, Internet purchase of CLs, <6 months wear experience, and higher socioeconomic class. Incidence estimates for soft CL use were similar to those previously reported. New lens types have not reduced the incidence of disease. Overnight use of any CL is associated with a higher risk than daily use.

The Incidence of Microbial Keratitis among Wearers of a 30-Day Silicone Hydrogel Extended-Wear Contact Lens

To estimate the incidence of presumed microbial keratitis with and without loss of visual acuity among wearers of a silicone hydrogel contact lens (Lotrafilcon A, Night & Day, CIBA Vision, Inc., Duluth, GA), recently approved for up to 30 days of continuous wear. Prospective cohort postmarket surveillance study. Contact lens wearers (recruited from 131 practices) who had been prescribed the lens for intended continuous wear of as many as 30 nights. The occurrence of a corneal infiltrate was ascertained through a combination of center report and direct contact with participants at 3 and 12 months. Whenever a corneal infiltrate was suspected, study and treatment medical records were systematically reviewed by an Endpoints Committee using a predetermined classification scheme for corneal infiltration. Cases of presumed microbial keratitis were determined based on the constellation of presenting signs and symptoms and clinical course. The incidence of presumed microbial keratitis with and without loss of visual acuity. A total of 6245 participants were recruited between August 13, 2002 and July 2, 2003. Of these, 4999 subjects (80%) completed 12 months of follow-up, and these participants contributed a total of 5561 person years of lens wearing experience. Approximately 80% of participants routinely wore their lenses continuously for 3 or more weeks. The overall annual rate of presumed microbial keratitis was 18 per 10,000 (95% confidence interval (CI): 8.5-33.1). There were 2 cases of presumed microbial keratitis with loss of visual acuity, an annual rate of 3.6 per 10,000 (95% CI: 0.4-12.9), and an additional 8 cases without loss of visual acuity, an annual rate of 14.4 per 10000 (95% CI: 6.1-28.4). The rate of presumed microbial keratitis was lower for users reporting typical wear of 3 or more weeks than for those wearing the lens for less than a 3-week continuous period (P = 0.02). The incidence of loss of visual acuity due to microbial keratitis among users of the silicone hydrogel contact lens was low. The overall rate of presumed microbial keratitis with the wearing schedule of as many as 30 nights was similar to that previously reported for conventional extended-wear soft lenses worn for fewer consecutive nights.

Patients’ experiences with partial dentures: a qualitative study

The aim of the study was to gain insight into people's experiences of being given and using partial dentures. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with 23 people of varied age, social background and denture wearing experience in Tayside, Scotland. Participants were encouraged to discuss how they came to have partial dentures, their day-to-day denture use and their interactions with dentists. The interview data were systematically coded using key theme headings, and summary charts were constructed to facilitate analysis. The initial decision that a partial denture was needed was generally difficult to accept. People perceived the main benefits of partial dentures to be improved appearance and confidence, but experienced a variety of difficulties with their dentures and often coped with these by only wearing them on social occasions. Participants had not always told their dentists about the difficulties they experienced. Barriers to seeking help with denture problems included financial constraints, previous experience of rushed appointments or poor communication from dentists and a perceived lack of entitlement to help when partial dentures were issued free. Partial dentures can be difficult to cope with. People experience a range of difficulties in wearing them, not all of which have been discussed with dentists. Informative and supportive communication when partial dentures are first needed, and subsequently, can improve the quality of patients' experiences and may help promote effective use and appropriate help-seeking by partial denture wearers.

Comparison of adverse events with daily disposable hydrogels and spectacle wear: results from a 12-month prospective clinical trial

Objective To evaluate the type and incidence of adverse events seen with daily disposable hydrogel contact lens wear compared with a control (spectacle) group over 12 months. Design Prospective, randomized, observer-masked, comparative clinical trial. Participants Two hundred eighty-one myopes with no prior contact lens wear experience were enrolled from August to December 1996. Subjects were 16 to 35 years old and had refractive errors ranging from a −0.75-diopter (D) sphere to a −6.00-D sphere with a cylinder less than −1.00 D. Intervention Each subject was randomly assigned to wear either bilateral disposable hydrogels on a daily disposable wear schedule or spectacles. Main outcome measure Type and incidence of adverse events from each group. Adverse events were categorized as serious, significant, and nonsignificant based on the potential to cause vision impairment, severity at event, and level of clinical concern. Results At baseline, 1.6% of eyes had asymptomatic infiltrates that were nonsignificant. During the study, asymptomatic infiltrates were seen in both contact lens and spectacle groups at 20.5 events versus 11.3 events per 100 eyes per year of wear. No significant events were seen with the spectacle group. With the contact lens group, the type and incidence of significant events per 100 eyes per year of lens wear were corneal peripheral ulcer, 2.5 events; infiltrative keratitis, 1.5 events; and papillary conjunctivitis, 1 event. The incidence of both significant and nonsignificant events was greater with the contact lens group ( P<0.05). No serious events (i.e., microbial keratitis) were seen in either group. A greater number of subjects were lost to follow-up or permanently discontinued from the contact lens group relative to the spectacle group (33% vs. 17%, P = 0.002). Lens-related problems such as dryness, discomfort, and difficulty with insertion and removal accounted for 27% of discontinuations from the contact lens group. Poor compliance (40%) was the greatest reason for discontinuations from the spectacle group. Conclusions No clinically serious events were seen with either group. Only a small percentage of contact lens–wearing eyes presented with significant events, which is promising for daily disposable lens wear. Far more contact lens subjects were lost to follow-up or discontinued. Small, asymptomatic, subepithelial corneal infiltrates of unknown significance were seen in both contact lens– and spectacle-wearing eyes.

Altered conjunctival response after contact lens-related corneal inflammation.

Corneal inflammation in overnight contact lens (CL) wear is not fully understood. We designed a masked study to examine the impact of overnight CL wear on clinical variables in subjects who had previously experienced corneal inflammatory disease. Forty-four subjects were entered into the study: Nine subjects who had previously experienced CL-associated acute red eye (CLARE) and nine controls; 13 subjects who had previously experienced CL-induced peripheral ulceration (CLPU) and 13 controls, respectively. Controls were matched for age, gender, CL wear experience, and refractive error. Subjects wore bilateral disposable CLs (-3.00 DS). Corneal, conjunctival, and CL fitting variables were assessed prior to sleep, after a single night of CL wear, at 1, 2, and 4 hours after waking by clinicians who were masked to group membership. Retrospective analysis of prewear corneal and conjunctival variables for CLARE subjects and their respective controls was also performed. Contact lens-associated acute red eye subjects consistently showed higher limbal redness (p < 0.05), bulbar redness (p < 0.05), and conjunctival staining (p < 0.005) compared with controls. Lens fitting and corneal variables were not significantly different at any time point for CLARE subjects. Contact lens-induced peripheral ulceration subjects were not different from matched controls for any variable at any time point. Limbal redness varied significantly over time among controls, with highest values measured at eye opening (p < 0.05). Retrospective analysis of prewear variables showed no significant differences between CLARE and control subjects. Wearers who previously experienced CLARE had a greater conjunctival response to CL wear compared with wearers who had no previous inflammatory disease. Clinical observations, however, were not helpful in predicting wearers who were predisposed to CLARE.

Short term wear of high Dk soft contact lenses does not alter corneal epithelial cell size or viability

BACKGROUND/AIMSCurrent contact lenses (CLs) when worn on an extended wear basis cause corneal epithelial alterations. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in corneal epithelial cell morphology and...

Daily disposable hydrogel contact lenses: a comparative study

This open-label study compares three daily disposable hydrogel contact lenses, Focus® Dailies® (Ciba Vision), 1-Day Acuvue® (Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson), and SofLens® one day disposable (Bausch & Lomb). Comparisons were made by soliciting participant preference among factors such as overall satisfaction, comfort, satisfaction with vision, dryness, eye strain, ease of handling, irritation upon insertion, frequency of solution use, and rate of damage of contact lenses. Subjects were randomly given appropriate Focus® Dailies®, 1-Day Acuvue®, and SofLens® one day disposable to use on both eyes for 2-week periods. After use of each of the three lens designs, the participants filled out a questionnaire about their wearing experience and their eyes were evaluated for contact lens complications. They also filled out a final questionnaire. Fifty percent of the participants favored Focus® Dailies® in a forced-choice comparison although 1-Day Acuvue® and SofLens® one day disposable scored higher in overall satisfaction. We find that participant preference appears to be influenced by factors other than performance on the eye. Factors such as packaging (easy to open) and lens designs that enhance handling strongly influence patient lens preference.

Treatment outcomes with mandibular removable partial dentures: A population-based study of patient satisfaction

Statement of problem. Little is known about the outcomes of treatment with mandibular removable partial dentures provided by dentists in private dental practice. Purpose. This study examined 15 aspects of patient satisfaction and explored the factors found to be associated with dissatisfaction. Material and methods. A questionnaire was mailed to people whose dental insurance claims included CPT Code 5214 within the last 5 years. A composite measure of treatment outcome was created by combining the responses to the 15 satisfaction items, and 10 factors were then tested statistically to determine their relationship to dissatisfaction. Results. A majority of the respondents were satisfied with the prosthesis, but a substantial amount of dissatisfaction existed. Dissatisfaction was greater when there was no previous wearing experience or when there was an opposing maxillary removable partial denture. Respondents under the age of 60 expressed more dissatisfaction than did those over the age of 60, and subjects with lower levels of general health also reported less satisfaction. One third of the respondents believed their prosthesis required adjustment or replacement, and one fourth said the removable partial denture had caused a problem with the natural teeth. Conclusion. A majority of survey respondents treated with a mandibular removable partial denture in private dental practice were satisfied with the prosthesis, but a substantial amount of dissatisfaction existed. Dissatisfaction was related to age, health, prior experience with a prosthesis, and the type of opposing dentition. (J Prosthet Dent 1998;80:36-45.)

Mini abstracts

Background: Interest in contact lenses is increasing in Saudi Arabia, as in many parts of the world, but unfortunately many patients do not remain contact lens wearers. This paper presents the findings of the first survey on failures in contact lens wear in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the survey was to identify the reasons for failure in lens wear in the kingdom. Method: Two hundred previous contact lens wearers, mostly from the university population, were given questionnaires which included, among other items, demographics, length of post-fitting lens wear experience, type of lens worn and reasons for discontinuing lens wear. Data from questionnaires were analysed and presented. Results: Data from questionnaires revealed that 61 per cent of the subjects discontinued contact lens wear due to discomfort, followed by inconvenience of lens care regimen (30.5 per cent), poor vision (5.5 per cent), economy (two per cent) and refractive surgery (one per cent). The length of post-fitting lens wear experience before discontinuation ranged from two to 36 months. The majority had been soft contact lens wearers. Conclusion: The majority failed in contact lens wear due to lens discomfort and the inconvenience of lens care systems. Identification of the reason for failure in contact lens wearers is crucial if refitting is to be considered. This will aid in the selection of the appropriate lens or lens care regimen suitable to the patient and serve as a guide in the prevention of failures in prospective contact lens wearers.)Clin Exp Optom 1996; 79: 6: 255–259)

Rhetoric, Hermeneutics, and Translation in the Middle Ages (review)

Reviewed by: Rhetoric, Hermeneutics, and Translation in the Middle Ages Michael Calabrese Rhetoric, Hermeneutics, and Translation in the Middle Ages, by Rita Copeland; xiv & 295 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991, $64.95 cloth, $22.95 paper. In this deeply learned book, Rita Copeland studies the history of rhetoric and grammar and their shifting roles in the history of translation, commentary, and interpretation from classical antiquity through the Middle Ages. Copeland examines the ideological nexus of history, authority, and power in which commentary and vernacular translation function. “Vernacular writing,” she says, can “authorize itself by taking over the function of academic discourse” (p. 8). Her book then traces the history of this “authorization” and this “dis-placement” of Latin sources by the increasingly academically privileged vernacular. All in all, Copeland tells the story of how medieval literary culture articulated its translatio studii by confronting and preserving its Classical inheritance and also developing a role for the vernacular as an active, creative agent in the production of authoritative works. [End Page 413] Ultimately “rhetoric” is the star of Copeland’s book, and in essence she is telling its Roman and medieval life stories. By “rhetoric” we are to understand critical academic language that points toward ethics and practical action. Throughout the Middle Ages every modification or appropriation of critical tools expands the role of commentary and adds new forms of interpretive invention to the translation process. As Copeland puts it, “The medieval practice of translation as a form of appropriation and substitution will be conditioned, as in Roman contexts, by rhetorical theories of invention” (p. 36). The hermeneutical costar is grammar, for as part of the complex appropriation of classical practice, medieval readers recoup the “debased” Roman category of grammar, so that by the time of Martianus Capella it can “claim for itself the whole compass of literary activity” (p. 56). As grammar expands its power, so does rhetoric, a civic Roman art which gets “revalued in terms of service to theology” (p. 59). Medieval commentary now “assumes the character of rhetorical performance” (p. 86) and takes on a “primary productive character,” as it “continually refashions the [studied] text for changing conditions of understanding” (p. 64). What is emerging from all these developments is a medieval translation theory—and practice—which is informed by both academic and practical, ethical goals, that is, a hermeneutics forged by the link of grammar and rhetoric. The rest of the book studies the shifting status and the evolving role of the vernacular in this medieval hermeneutical drama. Copeland addresses the Ovide moralisé and the French translations of the Consolatio, and then Chaucer’s Legend of Good Women and Gower’s Confessio Amantis. We witness here how vernacular products take on authority by “inventing themselves” through authoritative discourse. In Gower’s Confessio we see the fusion of hermeneutics and rhetoric; the poem uses academic modes of discourse in the service of ethics or action. We thus see that by the late Middle Ages vernacular literature plays an authoritative role in the medieval translatio studii, as Gower seeks to “open the institution of learning to the widest possible audience and thereby empower it as a persuasive tool, leading to knowledge of the good” (p. 220). Overall, Copeland has told the story of the “leveling” of academic and vernacular discourse, so that the later, while not dispelling or overthrowing the former, can claim access to its traditional authority. Copeland’s prose is Latinate, at times pedantic and, at times, just plain Latin; reading the book can be a wearing experience. But it is all part of a history she knows in remarkable detail, a history that lies behind many assumptions we have about medieval ethical poetics. To have presented this history is a major scholarly feat. Copeland allows us to see medieval authors as both products and producers of methods of appropriation, imitation, conquest, and preservation—all strategies for “translating” the past and creating a present that can leave its intellectual mark on the future. One might now want to employ Copeland’s history of classical and medieval hermeneutics as a tool for [End Page 414] examining our own, contemporary academic rhetorics and for analyzing the “state of...

Risk factors for acanthamoeba keratitis in contact lens users: a case-control study.

To investigate reasons for an increase in cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis related to contact lenses. Case-control study. Cases were contact lens related acanthamoeba keratitis patients treated between 1 September 1989 and 31 August 1992. Controls were lens users without lens related disease who presented as new patients to the casualty department from 1 March 1992 to 31 August 1992. All subjects completed a questionnaire detailing lens use and hygiene practices. Eye hospital. 35 cases with acanthamoeba keratitis and 378 controls. Relative risks comparing different contact lens types, socioeconomic classification, age, sex, lens use, lens wearing experience, hygiene compliance, and hygiene systems. The crude relative risk for developing acanthamoeba keratitis with the use of daily wear disposable lenses was 49.45 (95% confidence interval 6.53 to 2227; P < 0.001) compared with conventional soft lenses (the referent). Multivariable analysis showed that this increased risk could be largely attributed to lack of disinfection (relative risk 55.86 (10 to 302); P < 0.001) and use of chlorine based disinfection (14.63 (2.8 to 76); P = 0.001) compared with other chemical systems (the referent). None of the other outcome measures showed a significant association. Both failure to disinfect daily wear soft contact lenses and the use of chlorine release lens disinfection systems, which have little protective effect against the organism, are major risk factors for acanthamoeba keratitis. These risks have been particularly common in disposable lens use. Over 80% of acanthamoeba keratitis could be avoided by the use of lens disinfection systems that are effective against the organism.

Histochemical analysis of secretory vesicles in nongoblet conjunctival epithelial cells.

An Alcian-blue/Periodic acid Schiff reagent (AB/PAS) pH dependent staining method was used to identify the mucus content of secretory vesicles of non-goblet epithelial cells of the human conjunctiva. Twenty subjects were selected for biopsy of the midcentral upper tarsal conjunctiva: 10 subjects had no contact lens wearing experience, and 10 subjects wore contact lenses. Human respiratory epithelium was used as a control for the staining procedure. Four-micron paraffin sections of conjunctival and control tissues were stained with Alcian blue at pH 2.5 and 1.0 and counterstained with PAS. Non-goblet epithelial cell secretory vesicles contained neutral mucin, sialmucin, and sulphomucin. This study provides evidence for a 'second' mucus system of the conjunctiva, that this system is in the non-goblet epithelial cells, and that the mucus of this system has sulphomucins, sialomucins and neutral mucins.