EFFECT OF PATIENT PERSONALITY PROFILE AND VERBAL PRESENTATION ON SUCCESSFUL RIGID CONTACT-LENS ADAPTATION, SATISFACTION AND COMPLIANCE

Background. Rigid gas permeable (RCP) lenses have numerous benefits, i ncluding quality of vision, ocular health, and reduction of myopic pro gression in young people. Nevertheless, RCP lens use is not increasing in the United States. It is possible that certain patient personality characteristics and/or how a practitioner presents RGP lenses to a ne w patient may affect satisfaction and success. The purpose of this stu dy was to evaluate the effect of individual patient's personality and the practitioner's method of presenting RCP lenses to new patients on their ability to adapt to these lenses. Methods. Forty-nine subjects, all noncontact lens wearers, were entered into this 1-month study, whi ch was conducted at both the University of Missouri-St. Louis School o f Optometry and the Pacific University College of Optometry. All subje cts initially completed standardized questionnaires pertaining to locu s of control, openness to new experiences, and motivation/expectations . After diagnostic fitting with a RCP lens material, the subjects were placed into one of the following three groups: (1) Fear-Arousing Non- Enthused; (2) Neutral Content Non-Enthused; or (3) Neutral Content Ent hused. They observed one of three video presentations on RGP lens wear . Subjects submitted daily questionnaires providing their evaluation o f such factors as comfort, wearing time, and handling. Results. The re sults showed that there was a significant difference (chi(2) = 6.99; p < 0.05) among the different groups in the number of dropouts: 6/19 wi th the Fear-Arousing Non-Enthused group, 2/17 with the Neutral Content Non-Enthused group, and 0/13 with the Neutral Content Enthused group. There was also a significant difference (ANOVA F = 4.1, p < 0.05) amo ng the groups on compliance, with the Neutral Content Enthused group d emonstrating greater compliance. In terms of satisfaction, there was n o significant difference among presentation groups. Conclusion. It was concluded that the method of presentation is important for successful RGP contact lens wear. If presented with genuine interest and a posit ive and realistic attitude, patients are more likely to succeed in RCP lens wear during the initial critical period.