A recent survey by the Asthma and Allergy Foudnation of America (AAFA) found that nearly half the respondents reported taht eye rlelted allergy problemds in spring often prevented them wearing their contact lenses and that 10% had to stop wearing them altogether.

However, a recent study presented at the 87th annual meeting of The American Academy of Optometry, reported that only 36% of wearers of one-month contact lenses actually replaced their lenses as prescribed. Over half (55%) replaced them within five weeks, 23%t at eight weeks or more, and 14% at ten weeks or more.

As contact lenses age, they accumulate deposits that may irritate the eye. Moreover certain care systems contain preservatives which may further exacerbate discomfort for some allergy sufferers. One day lenses minimise the potential for accumulation of allergens and irritants that can occur with repeated use of the same pair of lenses. One study ("Hayes, VY, Schnider, CM and Veys, J. "An evaluation of 1-day disposable contact lens wear in a population of allergy sufferers," CL & Ant Eye, 26 (2003) 85-93) found that 67% of ocular allergy sufferers who switched to one-day lenses reported improved comfort while only 18%of those who simply replaced their conventional two-week daily wear soft contact lenses reported improvement.

courtesy of Medical News Today

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First Published in March 2010

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