Aim

To understand the views of contact lens (CL) practitioners across the globe regarding what they perceive as opportunities and threats in CL practice.

Methods

A self-administered anonymised questionnaire, constructed in English and translated in six more languages, was distributed through reputed international professional bodies and academic institutions worldwide. The questionnaire included items on demographic characteristics, type of practice, and questions designed to explore practitioners’ perspective on the future of their CL practice over the next five years.

Results

A total of 2408 valid responses were analysed. Multifocal CLs for presbyopia, CLs for myopia control, use of daily disposable (DD) CLs for occasional wear, and biocompatible materials to improve comfort were identified as promising areas of opportunities by practitioners (all 8/10). Respondents from North America, and Europe valued DDCLs for occasional wear moderately more favourable (Median: 9/10 for all) as compared to colleagues in Asia (Median: 8/10, p < 0.001), South America (Median: 8/10, p < 0.01), and Africa (Median: 8/10p < 0.01). Multifocal CLs for presbyopia was perceived as a better opportunity by practitioners in North America and Europe (Median: 9/10 for both), as well as in Australasia (Median: 8/10), in comparison to Asia, Africa, and Middle East (for all Median: 6/10, p < 0.001). Practitioners expressed concerns about the availability of CLs and CL prescriptions online without direct professional involvement (both 9/10).

Conclusions

Overall, the most appealing opportunities for CL practice growth were identified in occasional use of DD CLs, biocompatible materials to reduce CL discomfort, multifocal CLs for presbyopia correction and management of myopia control with CLs. Lack of regulation in CL sales, especially online, seemed to be a constant threat. The insights from this study can be used to design targeted strategies to enhance CL practice across the globe and in specific geographical areas.

中文翻译：

---

隐形眼镜实践的机遇和威胁：全球调查视角

目标

了解全球隐形眼镜 (CL) 从业者对他们在 CL 实践中的机会和威胁的看法。

方法

一份自我管理的匿名问卷以英语构建并翻译成另外六种语言，通过全球知名的国际专业机构和学术机构分发。问卷包括人口特征、实践类型和旨在探索从业者对其未来五年 CL 实践未来的看法的问题。

结果

共分析了 2408 个有效响应。用于老花眼的多焦点 CL、用于控制近视的 CL、使用日抛型 (DD) CL 用于偶尔佩戴，以及提高舒适度的生物相容性材料被从业者确定为有前景的机会领域（均为 8/10）。与亚洲（中位数：8/10，p < 0.001）、南美（中位数：8/10）的同事相比，来自北美和欧洲的受访者认为 DDCL 的偶尔佩戴更有利（中位数：9/10） ，p < 0.01）和非洲（中位数：8/10p < 0.01）。与亚洲、非洲和中东相比，北美和欧洲（中位数：两者的中位数：9/10）以及澳大拉西亚（中位数：8/10）的从业者认为用于老花眼的多焦点 CL 是一个更好的机会（对于所有中位数：6/10，p < 0.001）。

结论

总体而言，CL 实践增长最吸引人的机会是偶尔使用 DD CL、减少 CL 不适的生物相容性材料、用于老花眼矫正的多焦点 CL 和使用 CL 控制近视的管理。CL 销售缺乏监管，尤其是在线销售，似乎是一个持续的威胁。这项研究的见解可用于设计有针对性的策略，以加强全球和特定地理区域的 CL 实践。