Balancing Patient and Practitioner Goals in Contact Lens Fitting

Patients generally are seeking three things from their contact lens wearing experience, vision, comfort, and convenience. In addition, some individuals will be looking to seek these goals with a minimum of “out of pocket” expense. As an eye care provider our goal in contact lens fitting is to provide for optimal ocular health while also establishing a vision correction modality that maximizes clear binocular vision. However, there may be situations when we need to strike a balance between what patients can and will do, as contrasted with what might otherwise seem the ideal situation.

There is a wealth of published data that clearly indicates that patients do not always replace their lenses with the frequency we would like. Sometimes this is due to negligence, but often the underlying motivation is simply cost. We need to remind ourselves that the replacement period for most contact lenses is not dictated by the FDA, but is based on recommendations made by the manufacturer. The following is taken from the package insert of a commonly prescribed silicone hydrogel lens.