Objective: To assess the effect of purchasing behaviour and wearing habits of consumers on the incidence related to the health of eye.

Methods: Questionnaires about the purchasing behaviour and wearing habits of consumers were randomly and anonymously sent to register optical shops in Taiwan. The collected data included information about participants and contact lens categories, purchasing channels, and wearing habits of participants; types and causes of eye discomfort; and understanding of hygiene of participants.

Results: A total of 255 participants who wore contact lenses completed the questionnaire. The channels for purchasing contact lenses were mainly optical shops (75.3%), but drugstores, superstores, and online platforms were also attractive channels (10%–20%) for young participants. Nearly 25% of participants wore contact lenses to sleep overnight. The top three reasons for eye discomforts were dryness (78.8%), foreign body sensation (67.1%), and red eyes (52.9%). The most common causes of eye discomfort were overuse (35.3%) and problems with cleaning (25.9%). When purchasing contact lenses, approximately 52% of participants did not receive instructions from a professional about hygiene, cleaning, and maintenance. Approximately 41% did not receive an optometric evaluation. Most participants knew that a package insert accompanied the product (67.1%), but only 27% read the insert in detail and most (72.9%) were unsure about all the product specifications.

Conclusions: When professionals are involved in the purchasing process, consumers receive concrete assistance with respect to safety usage of contact lenses which may reduce the incidence of eye discomfort.