Rigid lenses have been fitted less since the introduction of soft lenses nearly 40 years ago. Data that we have gathered from annual contact lens fitting surveys conducted in Australia, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the USA between 2000 and 2008 facilitate an accurate characterization of the pattern of the decline of rigid lens fitting during the first decade of this century. There is a trend for rigid lenses to be utilized primarily for refitting those patients who are already successful rigid lens wearers—most typically older females being refit with higher Dk materials. Rigid lenses are generally fitted on a full-time basis (four or more days of wear per week) without a planned replacement schedule. Orthokeratology is especially popular in the Netherlands, but is seldom prescribed in the other countries surveyed.
aInstitute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Optometry, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia
bEurolens Research, The University of Manchester, Moffat Building, P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, United Kingdom
cDepartment of Optometry and Visual Science, Buskerud University College, P.O. Box 235, N-3603 Kongsberg, Norway
dDepartment of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Hongo 3-1-3, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8431, Japan
eSchool of Optometry, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
fCollege of Optometry, The Ohio State University, 320 W. 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1280, United States
gUniversity of Maastricht, P. Debijelaan 25, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
hCentre for Contact Lens Research, School of Optometry, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
ABSTRACT