Contact lens campaign to be launched

The General Optical Council (GOC) has announced the establishment of a public facing contact lens campaign design to encourage people to look after their eyes.

The Love your lenses initiative, which will run 25–31 March, has been created in partnership with a range of industry representatives and patient groups.

The launch comes after research by the regulator found that "many people are not looking after their contact lenses properly." Mistakes include allowing lenses to come into contact with water and not having regular check-ups.

Research performed by the regulator reported that 44% of contact lens wearers are not complying with advice to avoid showering in their contact lenses.

The GOC has designed a toolkit for the campaign, which will provide practices with access to a range of patient-friendly information leaflets, as well as ideas on how they can get involved with, and promote, the week.

Director of strategy at the GOC, Alistair Bridge, said: “Contact lenses are enjoyed safely and loved by millions of people. If they are looked after properly, they are safe and effective, but our research has shown that not all contact lens wearers know how to do this.”

Focusing on the campaign, he added: “We will be working with stakeholders across the optical sector to remind all contact lens wearers, including people who wear cosmetic lenses, to go for an eye check at least once a year. Their optician can tell them how to keep their eyes healthy, for example, by making sure their lenses don’t ever come into contact with water.”

Visit the campaign's website for more information and to sign up.