• Patients rated MyDay silicone hydrogel lenses as significantly more comfortable than habitual hydrogel lenses.
• Nearly 75% of patients were interested in purchasing silicone hydrogel lenses after trying them.

Patients accustomed to wearing hydrogel contact lenses reported better comfort and reduced dryness with silicone hydrogel lenses, according to data from CooperVision.

“Although silicone hydrogel lenses now dominate new soft lens fits, approximately one-quarter of patients fit with daily disposable lenses globally are still wearing hydrogel materials,” study coauthor Jennifer Palombi, OD, FAAO, director of professional affairs, Americas, at CooperVision, told Healio. “Modern [silicone hydrogel] materials offer excellent oxygen transmission while also delivering comfort and wettability that address many of the concerns associated with earlier-generation [silicone hydrogel] lenses.”

To learn more about patient preferences, Palombi and colleagues studied 182 habitual wearers of daily disposable hydrogel lenses who switched to silicone hydrogel lenses for 1 to 2 weeks. The study was conducted at 16 U.S. eye care practices.

Patients started by rating their comfort, vision quality, dryness and overall satisfaction with their hydrogel lenses. They were then fitted with MyDay silicone hydrogel lenses (stenfilcon A, CooperVision) and repeated those ratings at a follow-up visit.

Patients in the study had worn their hydrogel lenses for an average of 6.69 years.

“That means the study evaluated patients who were already adapted and comfortable with their existing lenses, making improvements after a refit especially meaningful,” Palombi said.

Using 10-point rating scales, patients rated MyDay lenses as significantly more comfortable at initial wear (8.05 vs. 6.96), all day (7.98 vs. 6.52) and at the end of the day (7.82 vs. 5.84).

Palombi said these comfort findings were a particular highlight.

“These patients were not dissatisfied hydrogel wearers looking for a better option — they had been wearing their habitual lenses for an average of almost 7 years,” Palombi said. “Despite that, they still rated MyDay significantly higher for initial, all-day and end-of-day comfort.”

Most patients (68%) had an improvement in contact lens-related dryness after the switch. Nearly all had an acceptable fit with MyDay lenses, and 73% said they were interested in purchasing them.

“Practitioners can feel confident discussing a refit to a modern silicone hydrogel daily disposable lens, even for patients who have worn hydrogel lenses successfully for many years,” Palombi said. “Many long-term hydrogel wearers may be open to — and appreciate — a modern [silicone hydrogel] upgrade when practitioners proactively recommend it.”