Contents lists available at BioMedSciDirect Publications Journal homepage: www.biomedscidirect.com International Journal of Biological & Medical Research Int J Biol Med Res. 2012; 3(1): 1385-1387 Knowledge and Practice of Contact Lens Wear and Care Among Contact Lens Users Medical Students of Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India *a Purushottam A. Giri , b c d Waman M. Chavan , Deepak B. Phalke , Surekha V. Bangal A R T I C L E I N F O ABSTRACT Keywords: Original Article Knowledge Practice Contact lens Medical students 1. Introduction This cross sectional study was conducted in final year medical students of Rural Medical College, Loni with aim to find out the knowledge and practice of contact lens wear and care among contact lens users medical students. Data was collected by using a pre-tested, semi- structural questionnaire. There were total 339 final year medical students during the study period, out of which 58 students who has ever worn contact lens for any period of time and for whatever reason were included for the study. Thus the prevalence of contact lens wearers was 17.1%. Majority of the contact lens users were female (49, 84.4%), with female to male ratio being 5.4:1. Main reasons for using contact lenses were cosmetic and convenience. Most of the students (82.72%) were using contact lenses on regular basis. Maximum students (53.44%) were not aware of over wear syndrome. Most of the students were using commercial solution for cleaning contact lens, while some were using self prepared solutions. All contact lens users clean contact lenses daily. Many students (62.06%) were using kajal, though they knew its side effects. Some contact lens users suffered from complications like general discomfort and redness. Many students were knowing that cornea is deprived of oxygen due to use of contact lens, still most of them were happy with contact lenses as their vision was better and feeling comfortable with contact lens. Improper practice of contact lens wear and care even in educated users such as medical students could increase the risk of complications. Therefore, a need for more education to the consumers is desired. Contact lenses are thin optical corrective lenses worn on the eye, resting on the surface of the cornea. Contact lenses are becoming popular in young generation specially students of school and colleges. Advantage of Contact lens is that it eliminate prismatic effects of spectacles and the field of clear vision is greatly increased. Contact lens in addition to correcting refractive error also increases aesthetic of person. Another probable reason for popularity of contact lenses use are good number of choices available not only in the terms of lens type and material alone but also the increased availability at large number of locations in the country at a much lower cost compared to past [1]. Use of contact lenses is increasing day by day yet people are not fully aware about various merits and demerits of contact lenses. Complications most commonly associated with use include dry eye, giant papillary conjunctivitis, corneal abrasion, corneal edema, corneal ulcer, keratitis and neovascularization [2]. The awareness of these complications was found lacking amongst the younger users and 87% of these users preferred contact lens use in spite of the ocular problems related to their use [3]. Ocular health education especially knowledge in the correct and careful practice regarding contact lens wear can prevent complications resulting from the wearer's inappropriate behavior. One of the ways of investigating this is from the person's perception regarding his own knowledge of contact lens wear [4]. There is need of research to bring about better contact lenses. Medical students are future health providers for community and awareness needs to be increased in them. Hence the present study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practice of contact lens wear and care among contact lens users medical students of Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India. BioMedSciDirect Publications Copyright 2010 BioMedSciDirect Publications IJBMR - All rights reserved. ISSN: 0976:6685. c International Journal of BIOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH www.biomedscidirect.com Int J Biol Med Res Volume 3, Issue 1, Jan 2012 a* Associate Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine (PSM), Rural Medical, College, Loni, Maharashtra. b Assistant Professor, Dept. of Ophthalomology, Rural Medical College. c Professor and Head, Dept. of Community Medicine(PSM), Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India d Surekha V. Bangal, Professor and Head, Dept. of Ophthalomology,Rural Medical College, Loni, Maharashtra, India * Corresponding Author : Dr. Purushottam A. Giri Associate Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine (PSM), Rural Medical College, Loni, Dist. Ahmednagar Maharashtra, India Pin- 413736 Phone: 09096066692 Email: drpgiri14@gmail.com Copyright 2010 BioMedSciDirect Publications. All rights reserved. c