Trend of soft contact lens prescribing in an optometry centre in India: a 6-year analysis.

This six-year retrospective longitudinal study was conducted to examine the changes in the pattern of prescribing soft contact lenses in an optometry centre located in a University in South India. Details regarding the type of lenses, lens material, wearing pattern and the clinical diagnoses were analyzed from January 2006 to December 2011. A total of 1273 soft contact lens fits (n=1273) were analyzed. Two-third of the total lenses dispensed was for females and their mean age (24.0±8.3 yrs) was less than that of male (27.0±11.2 yrs) lens users. Nearly 70% of them had myopia and 48% wore conventional soft contact lenses. During the studied six years, the percentage of conventional lenses declined by 60%. This study demonstrated a gradual and significant increase in popularity of disposable contact lenses and silicone hydrogel lens material which is comparable to the global trend.