CooperVision Science at NCC ’24 Spotlights Contact Lens Journey Factors for New Patients

The 2024 Netherlands Contact Lens Congress (NCC) theme is “Future Generation,” complementing CooperVision’s dynamic scientific program at the event. CooperVision and its research partners will present multiple papers that seek to advance the eye care category, with high clinical relevance for eye care professionals (ECPs) worldwide. NCC takes place in Veldhoven, the Netherlands from March 10-11, in collaboration with the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) for the scientific symposium.

“Our science at NCC addresses several topics that are of substantial interest to ECPs, including better understanding new patients’ contact lens journeys to reduce dropout, prescribing trends related to the myopia epidemic, and methods to evaluate the vision performance of myopia control contact lenses,” said Francis Erard, CooperVision’s Vice President of Research and Development. “They’re part of CooperVision’s commitment to using an evidence-based approach to constantly improve eye health in partnership with the eye care community.”

New CooperVision-led research has uncovered insights that may help prevent neophyte contact lens wearers from dropping out of the category. “Understanding the Initial Contact Lens Journey and Consequences of a Protracted Experience” (Watson S, et al.) used a quantitative survey (n=500) and qualitative interviews (n=12) with both new contact lens wearers (≤12 months) and potential wearers (50:50 ratio) to discover patient expectations and emotions.

Findings indicated multiple opportunities for improvement to current procedures. For example, the vast majority (84%) of patients didn’t feel confident on the day of their first contact lens appointment, but less than half (45%) had been given information about what to expect from the practice. Protracted patient journeys due to contact lenses not being available for same day take home, a lack of consolidated practice visits, and staff limitations surrounding application and removal training were also problematic. Two-thirds (67%) of potential wearers would buy online, discontinue the process, or go elsewhere if it was necessary to return to the practice several times.

CooperVision will also present papers during NCC regarding utilization of myopia control interventions compared to myopia prevalence, performance of its DreamLite® orthokeratology lenses, data from its groundbreaking multi-year MiSight® 1 day clinical trial, contact lens handling characteristics, myopia control contact lens performance measures, and scleral lens wear amongst patients with dryness symptoms. The company will also exhibit at NCC, demonstrating its portfolio of inventive products such as MyDay® daily disposable lenses and clariti® 1 day lenses that improve lives, one person at a time.

Held biennially, NCC is attended by eye care professionals, educators, researchers, and manufacturers from the Netherlands, Europe, and around the globe. For more information on the 2024 event’s sessions and speakers, visit contactlenscongress.com.