ABSTRACT
Background: There are over a million users globally, contact lenses are particularly popular among women and younger individuals. While advances in lens technology have improved safety, complications such as microbial keratitis can occur, especially when proper hygiene practices are neglected. Despite educational efforts, adherence to care guidelines remains low.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of contact lens wearers towards contact lens hygiene and complications among students of University of Benin, Benin-City.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized for this study. Four hundred participants were selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising both opened ended and closed questions. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0 and a p < 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 20.7 years (±2.539 years) with a predominance of females (82.7%) and Christians (98.8%). Most respondents were single (99.0%) and the largest ethnic group represented was Benin (49.8%). The majority of participants (22.8%) had myopia, while 42.0% wore contact lenses primarily for vision correction.Knowledge of proper contact lens use varied, with better understanding among those aged 23-25 and from the Medicine department. Despite high awareness of cleaning practices, adherence remained low, with 51.7% cleaning their lenses daily. Most respondents identified infected lenses as a major cause of complications, and signs included itching and blurred vision. The study highlights the need for improved education and adherence to hygiene practices to mitigate risks associated with contact lens use among students.
Conclusion: Majority of the respondents are young, predominantly female respondents who wear contact lenses mainly for vision correction and cosmetic purposes, but there is a concerning lack of knowledge and adherence to hygiene practices, indicating a need for targeted educational interventions to improve safe contact lens use.
Keywords: contact lens, hygiene practices, complications, Knowledge, students.
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