The penetrance and characteristics of contact lens wear in Australia

Background A population-based, cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted to estimate the penetrance and characteristics of contact lens wear in Australia. Methods Based on postcode distribution, 42,749 households around Australia were randomly selected from the national electronic telephone directory. During calls, the number of individuals and contact lens wearers in each household aged between 15 and 64 years was ascertained. Contact lens wearers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, to determine details of demographics, lens type, mode of lens wear and hygienic habits. Contact lens wear characteristics and habits were compared by lens type and mode of use. Results Of the 32,405 households contacted, 19,171 (59.2 per cent) agreed to participate. The penetrance of contact lens wear during the study period was 5.01 per cent (95% CI: 4.78-5.24). The mean age of lens wearers was 36.5 ± 18.3 years and 63.4 per cent were female. There were significant differences in the habits and characteristics of lens wearers depending on their lens type and mode of use. Conclusions The penetrance of contact lens wear concurs with market estimates and equates to approximately 680,000 contact lens wearers aged between 15 and 64 years in Australia. This is the most detailed and extensive population-based survey of contact lens wearers ever conducted. The discrepancies found between the characteristics of lens wearers surveyed in this study compared to those in previous studies of contact lens practitioners highlights the importance of study design. These results may be applied to other regions with similar health-care and regulatory systems.