Yesterday at ARVO, researchers from the Brien Holden Vision Institute presented new findings that suggest a patient’s comfort in contact lenses affects their visual satisfaction—and vice-versa.

The team retrospectively assessed five clinical trials that included both single-vision and multifocal lens fits and follow-up five to seven days post-fitting. A questionnaire helped assess the patients’ vision satisfaction based on clarity of vision at distance, intermediate and near, as well as overall lens comfort. They found both parameters affected each other differently based on single vision vs. multifocal lens wear.

For non-presbyopic patients wearing single vision lenses, changes in vision satisfaction affected their comfort rating, but changes in comfort didn’t necessarily impact their vision ratings. The opposite seems to be true for those wearing multifocal designs. Changes in their ocular comfort during lens wear led to changes in their vision rating more than vision changes impacted their comfort ratings.

“Consideration of participant characteristics, visual stimulus and contact lens comfort needs to be accounted for when assessing overall contact lens experience,” explains Joseph Shovlin, OD, of Northeastern Eye Institute in Scranton, PA. “Probably not too unexpected, ocular comfort is of greater significance in non-presbyopic lens wearers, while vision satisfaction is of greater significance in the presbyopic group.”