Contact lens practitioners completed an annual survey of their prescribing patterns, usage of care solutions and attitudes to extended wear (EW). The survey period was July 1 1988 to June 30 1989 and the results were compared to those of previous, similar surveys. Many results were close to those in previous surveys, including the average number of pairs of lenses prescribed (95 new, 30 replacement), the proportion of contact lens fittings which were refits (40 per cent), the percentage of lenses prescribed which were soft (83 per cent) and the proportions of toric (soft 23 per cent, hard five per cent) and tinted (soft 39 per cent, hard 71 per cent) lenses prescribed. Results which differed markedly from previous surveys included the number of pairs of replacement lenses sold and the percentage of contact lens patients who were presbyopic. More than 90 per cent of lenses prescribed for EW were soft, although approximately 20 per cent of practitioners indicated that they would prefer to fit rigid gas permeable materials for EW. EW lenses were worn only on a true EW basis in six per cent of cases.
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