Practitioner and patient experience with a silicone hydrogel, daily disposable contact lens

The 25th anniversary of daily disposable (DD) contact lenses (CL) is approaching, silicone hydrogel (SiH) lenses have been available for nearly 20 years, and the benefits of combining DD and SiH realised for a decade. Practitioners are fitting SiH DD lenses more frequently than ever before, with 63% of DD fitted in 2018 being SiH (both in the UK and worldwide).¹

Reluctance in SiH DD prescribing may have been influenced by eye care practitioner (ECP) concerns including cost and comfort, although patients are keen to wear the healthiest lenses for their eyes and are willing to pay for that option.² ECPs recognise DDs are the healthiest way to wear CLs,^3,4 and given their convenience, the oxygen delivery of SiH materials, and the wide range of parameters and designs now available, selecting a DD SiH for patients seems an obvious first choice in terms of material and modality.