Compliance with contact lens hygiene practices among Saudi Arabian contact lens users

Objectives Contact lenses are temporary ocular prostheses, but non-compliance with contact lens hygiene practices can cause eye problems. Yet, this aspect is often inadequately explained to users. We determined the level of knowledge regarding contact lens hygiene among the adult population in different regions of Saudi Arabia. Specifically, we examined compliance with hygiene practices and how socio-demographic characteristics and the presence of complications are associated with the degree of compliance. Methods This cross-sectional study collected data from 890 contact lens users between January and March 2024. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests. Results Among 890 participants, most (86.4%) showed favorable compliance with contact lens hygiene practices. Favourable compliance was higher among women than among men. It increased as the education level increased and was the highest among participants from the Western region. Many participants changed lenses later than the recommended period (44.5%) and never cleaned them (12.4%). Most avoided wearing contact lenses while sleeping (84.5%), showering (82.9%), and swimming (90.3%). Dry eyes were the most common complication experienced (49.3%), followed by acute eye inflammation (14.7%), eyelid inflammation (7.4%), conjunctivitis (3.9%), and keratitis (2.8%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, female gender (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.578–3.382; p < 0.001) and Master’s/PhD-level education (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.01–2.26; p = 0.044) were significant independent predictors of favorable compliance with contact lens hygiene practices. Conclusions Among participants in this study, female gender and higher education level were independent predictors of more favorable reported contact lens hygiene practices. Residence in the Western region was also associated with favorable practices in unadjusted analysis, although this association did not remain significant after adjusting for other sociodemographic factors. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously given the self-reported nature of the data and the use of online convenience sampling, which limits their generalizability to all contact lens users in Saudi Arabia. Continued education and targeted awareness initiatives may help promote safer contact lens hygiene practices and reduce potentially preventable ocular complications.