Patients with presbyopia may prioritize vision needs over comfort when deciding whether they will continue wearing a multifocal contact lens, according to a recent study led by research teams from CooperVision and the Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE).1
The investigation, published in Clinical Optometry, explored the link between subjective comfort and vision in habitual multifocal soft contact lens wearers when refit with daily disposable multifocal contact lenses.1 The study included 58 habitual multifocal wearers who were fit in stenfilcon A multifocal (MyDay® multifocal) and delefilcon A multifocal (DAILIES TOTAL1® multifocal) for two-weeks. Subjective ratings included satisfaction with comfort and vision.
While the study found that meeting wearers’ needs for vision correlated strongly with the patients wanting to wear multifocal contact lenses for both lens types, MyDay® multifocal showed higher statistically significant results in meeting patients’ vision needs and their desire to wear the lens in the future.1
Other key findings from the MyDay® multifocal group included:1
- More satisfaction with their intermediate and near vision.
- Better measured near and intermediate visual acuities.
Additionally, only MyDay® multifocal showed a correlation between end of day comfort and meeting vision needs and wanting to wear the lens in the future.1 This suggests subjective vision and comfort were only correlated when vision met the needs of most participants, the authors stated.
“While it is accepted that good end-of-day comfort is an important factor for contact lens success generally, these results suggest that attaining satisfaction with vision may be even more important than comfort for retaining presbyopes in multifocal soft contact lenses,” the researchers wrote in their paper.1
Takeaways for Daily Practice
The study’s findings provide insight on the importance of ensuring wearers are satisfied with their vision in multifocal contact lenses and the importance of making changes to the prescription if vision needs are not met.1
The researchers also suggest the following tips for multifocal fit success:1
- Use up-to-date spectacle refractions.
- Determine ocular dominance.
- Use manufacturers’ fit guides and online tools such as OptiExpert®.
- Assess vision with real-world targets.
Read the full study here. You can also find additional resources and learnings at CooperVision’s Online Success Center.
