How often are contact lenses worn?

There are important clinical, academic and commercial reasons for seeking to develop a comprehensive understanding of the frequency of wear of different forms of contact lenses. Data that we have gathered from annual contact lens fitting surveys over the past 12 years demonstrate that contact lenses are worn, on average, 5.4+/-1.9 days per week. Rigid lenses tended to be worn on a full-time basis, typically seven days per week. The distribution of daily disposable lens wear is bimodal, with peaks at two days and seven days per week of wear. Over the survey period there appears to have been a small trend toward the use of contact lenses on a part-time basis.