Aug. 12, 2021 — CooperVision, Inc. has released the results of a recent online survey of U.S. residents focused on sustainability and contact lenses.

The research follows CooperVision’s partnership with Plastic Bank to make its clariti 1 day family of contact lenses the first net-plastic neutral CLs in the U.S. (read on in EB’s Earth Day-focused trends roundup). After just six months of working with Plastic Bank, CooperVision shared that its customers and wearers have removed the equivalent of more than 11 million plastic bottles from the environment.

The recent survey was designed to help CooperVision understand how net-plastic neutrality effects patient perceptions of CLs and their eyecare professionals. The results revealed how a healthy planet is taking an increasingly important role in patient decisions, including whether to wear contact lenses.

“The results of the survey clearly show that not only do patients care about the environment, but they want their eyecare professionals to care, too,” says Michele Andrews, O.D., VP of professional and government Affairs, Americas, CooperVision. “By understanding these insights—and making it a point to discuss the sustainable benefits of CooperVision clariti 1 day contact lenses in practice—ECPs can deepen their relationships with their patients while making a positive impact on the environment.”

In particular, 83% of respondents agreed that their interest in trying CLs would somewhat or significantly increase if a plastic-neutral lens was an option, and 80% agreed that a plastic neutral 1-day contact lens would make them feel better about using daily disposable contact lenses.

Respondents revealed that if their ECP were to discuss or recommend a net-plastic neutral contact lens, their perceptions of their doctor would change in positive ways. For example, 8 in 10 said they would consider their ECP more innovative or up to date on the newest trends in eyewear, and 3 in 4 respondents agreed that trust in their ECP would increase.

“With contact lenses, we’re often focused on providing patients a lens that balances the priorities of comfort, convenience, and cost. The survey confirmed that these factors are important, but expected—so other factors, like sustainability, certainly play a part,” says Dr. Andrews. 

For more information on CooperVision’s sustainability efforts, head to the company’s latest environmental, social, and governance report.

To read the entire Sustainability and Contact Lenses report from CooperVision, head here.