Daily disposable hydrogel contact lenses: a comparative study

This open-label study compares three daily disposable hydrogel contact lenses, Focus® Dailies® (Ciba Vision), 1-Day Acuvue® (Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson), and SofLens® one day disposable (Bausch & Lomb). Comparisons were made by soliciting participant preference among factors such as overall satisfaction, comfort, satisfaction with vision, dryness, eye strain, ease of handling, irritation upon insertion, frequency of solution use, and rate of damage of contact lenses. Subjects were randomly given appropriate Focus® Dailies®, 1-Day Acuvue®, and SofLens® one day disposable to use on both eyes for 2-week periods. After use of each of the three lens designs, the participants filled out a questionnaire about their wearing experience and their eyes were evaluated for contact lens complications. They also filled out a final questionnaire. Fifty percent of the participants favored Focus® Dailies® in a forced-choice comparison although 1-Day Acuvue® and SofLens® one day disposable scored higher in overall satisfaction. We find that participant preference appears to be influenced by factors other than performance on the eye. Factors such as packaging (easy to open) and lens designs that enhance handling strongly influence patient lens preference.