At first glance, the numbers are reassuring. Over 90% of contact lens wearers in Switzerland feel they’re well-informed about handling their lenses. But ask them what they’d do if their eye turns red or painful—and the story falls apart.

A new study co-authored by ELZA’s Medical Director, Prof. Farhad Hafezi, MD, PhD, FARVO, dives into the gap between perceived knowledge and actual behavior when complications arise. The research, recently published in Klinische Monatsblätter für Augenheilkunde, asked 172 contact lens users how they’d react to two common but potentially serious situations: monocular redness and pain.

The results are sobering. In cases of eye redness, 77% said they wouldn’t seek professional help. When it came to monocular pain—a red flag for microbial keratitis—more than a third still wouldn’t call a doctor. And only 14.3% said they’d consult an ophthalmologist within 24 hours.

That’s a problem.

Because microbial keratitis doesn’t wait. It doesn’t care how confident someone feels about their contact lens hygiene. It spreads, it scars, and it can take vision in days. The disconnect between what people think they know and how they actually respond is a persistent—and dangerous—theme in contact lens safety.

The study also revealed that 30% of respondents wore lenses for keratoconus, a group that often uses specialty designs like RGPs or sclerals. These patients depend on their lenses not just for vision correction but for daily functioning. Yet they too fell into the trap of delayed care.

What this tells us is simple: education is not enough if it doesn’t translate into action. Lens wearers don’t need another leaflet about handwashing. They need clear, scenario-based guidance—what to do, when to do it, and why it matters.

And as this study makes clear, they need reminders that red eyes and pain aren’t just nuisances. They’re warning signs.

At ELZA, we see the consequences of hesitation far too often—eyes damaged not by pathogens alone, but by the delay in treating them. This paper makes one thing clear: we must close the gap between perceived safety and real-world risk.

Reference

Perschak P, Said S, Metzler S, et al. Self-assessment of knowledge vs. Real reactions in simulated emergency situations among contact lens wearers in switzerland. Klin Monbl Augenheilkd. 2025;242(4):339-345. Link.