Review: New findings with etafilcon A daily disposable contact lenses

Daily disposable (DD) contact lenses have gained increasing acceptance around the world since they were introduced in the mid-1990s. In the UK, DDs have a larger market share than reusable lenses, at about 60%.¹ In the US, where reusable lenses traditionally dominate, the DD category has also made gains and is said to be primarily responsible for recent growth in the soft lens market.² Worldwide, around one in three lenses fitted in 2015 were for daily replacement.³

While silicone hydrogel (SiHy) lenses have become more widely fitted among reusable lens wearers, hydrogels remain the most commonly worn lenses in the DD category. In the UK, nearly two out of three DDs sold in 2015 were hydrogels (Figure 1)⁴ despite the increasing availability of SiHy options.