VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
BOSTON, Mass. (November 5, 2013) – The majority (91 percent) of astigmatic patients are willing to trial a daily disposable contact lens for astigmatism with a doctor’s recommendation, research shows. Data from the survey also reveal doctors choose health more often as the reason for selecting a daily disposable contact lens for astigmatism, while patients choose convenience. The findings were presented today at the 2013 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting.
“The study demonstrates the importance of understanding which benefits of daily disposable lenses for astigmatism resonate best with patients when discussing the attributes of this wear modality,” says study co-author W. Lee Ball, O.D., FAAO, associate director, Professional Affairs, VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. “When doctors take a patient-centric approach to care and explain what’s best for patients in a manner they understand and see value in, we see the acceptance of new products and technologies is very high.”
A secondary survey finding is doctors prefer using a smart phone app to complete surveys than using more traditional methods such as an online website or facsimile.
“It is well documented that smart phone and tablet usage is quickly outpacing that of desktop computers,” Dr. Ball says. “Optometrists are clearly seeing the value of mobile devices, and their preference to report patient outcomes via the app aligns with this growing trend.”
About the Study
Ninety-four doctors fitting 333 contact lens patients with astigmatism participated in an In Market Assessment (IMA) for a new daily disposable contact lens product for astigmatism (1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM). Participants were asked to provide feedback on product performance via a survey that could be answered by smart phone app, online website or facsimile. Patients fitted were both new, current reusable and daily disposable lens wearers having astigmatism. The survey questioned both doctor and patient respondents about their reason for choosing a daily disposable lens for astigmatism, providing up to five possible choices, including health, convenience, comfort, vision, and “contact lens brand you can trust.” Doctors were instructed to select all the reasons that apply when prescribing a daily disposable contact lens for astigmatism, while patients were instructed to select one reason. Doctors were then asked to record their patients’ willingness to trial 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® for ASTIGMATISM.
Study results show nine out of 10 patients were willing to trial 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® for ASTIGMATISM based on their doctors’ recommendations. When talking to patients about their prescribing preference, doctors presented health 75 percent of the time. Doctors also presented convenience benefits and comfort benefits 60 percent of the time, vision benefits 50 percent of the time, and “contact lens brand you trust” 30 percent of the time. However, patients found convenience to be the most important benefit of a daily disposable contact lens for astigmatism (30 percent), followed by health and comfort (24 percent), vision (19 percent) and “brand trust” (3 percent).
In addition, the study found that of the 333 surveys collected, 67 percent (222) were completed using a smart phone app, while 20 percent (65) were completed using an online website and 13 percent (46) via facsimile.
The study was sponsored by VISTAKON® Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. Dr. Ball and Mr. LaBuz are employees of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.
Source: Ball, WL, LaBuz, J, “A Novel Approach for Data Collection Evaluating Doctor and Patient Preferences for Wearing a Daily Disposable Contact Lens for Astigmatism,” presented at Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2013 and Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) 2013.
ACUVUE®, 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® and VISTAKON® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.
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