Did the pandemic kick off a trend in new contact lens wearers? Perhaps all the mask-wearing and fogged-up glasses played a role. ECP Viewpoints host, Dr. Jennifer Palombi, invited Dr. Jennifer Stewart from OD Perspectives to discuss this uptick in new wearers and how clariti® 1 day contacts make a good fit for patients new to contact lens wear.

“The interest has been really high on contact lenses, and it’s been a great time for new wearers because I think Clariti is such a great choice for these first-time and new wearers,” Stewart said. “It’s my workhorse lens. It’s the lens I reach for time and time again. My scribes in my office don’t even wait; they know when a patient starts discussing contact lenses, and they’re a new wearer, they’re already out of the room grabbing those lenses because they are my go-to choice.”

Most contact lens prescriptions at Dr. Stewart’s office are daily disposables. And while some of her patients still choose bi-weekly or monthly lenses, the conversation is switching more and more to daily lenses. “I think that now they put a higher priority on health, hygiene, cleanliness, and disposability than before so that conversation about price is not as much of an issue as it had been in the past,” Stewart said.

Stewart said the price point of Clariti makes it an affordable option to switch over from monthly and two-week lenses to a single use. “It’s not as much of a jump as some of the premium lens products out there.”

For those with environmental concerns over daily disposable lenses, Clariti 1 day is the first net plastic neutral contact lens in the U.S. Stewart said she loves when people bring these concerns up because it provides an opportunity to let them know about this news. “These contacts are less wasteful, which sounds crazy, but they are less wasteful than the lenses you’re actually wearing.” When considering all of the plastic that goes into solution bottles and storage cases that people go through in a year with monthly and two-week lenses, the cost comparisons and environmental savings mean single-use lenses can be a viable daily option.