Study highlights risk of online CL purchase

Consumers in the US who buy their contact lenses online or in an optical chain store are placing themselves at an increased risk of developing eye complications in the long-term because they are less likely to adhere to an eye care regime.

The research, published in the January edition of Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association (AOA), is based on the purchasing and eye care habits of contact lens wearers, and was conducted by Dr Joshua Fogel and Chaya Zidile of Brooklyn College.

Researchers interviewed 151 college students regarding their contact lens purchase category (doctor's office, optical chain store, and internet). The study is believed to be the first in the US to look at whether people who buy their contact lenses online differ in their eye care practice to those that buy from an eye doctor, online or from an optical chain outlet.