Problems of Contact Lenses

According to a post on The Guardian
I was going through the Guardian journal and I found the article interesting thats why I chosed to share with you .The biggest problem with contact lenses is not
the devices themselves, but the people who
wear them. A study from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in the US found
that nearly a million visits to the doctor each
year relate to eye infections from lenses
.
The most serious eye infection is keratitis,
caused by bacteria and other organisms that
affect the cornea – the transparent dome-
shaped structure at the front of the eye.
Studies suggest that infections occur because
people ignore their opticians’ advice.
Considering that eyes are so precious, it is
surprising that 45% of people don’t wash their
hands before putting in or taking out their
lenses
. Other studies show that monthly contact
lenses are used for one and a half times longer
than recommended. Two-weekly disposable
lenses are used for more than two and half
times as long as they should be.
Contact lenses are medical devices and soft
contacts tend to be packaged in small sterilised
containers filled with fluid, which over time
(hence the expiration date) can become
contaminated . The biggest cause of infection,
however, is overnight wear, says Professor
Roger Buckley, associate director of the Vision
and Eye Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin
University. Sleeping with your lenses in raises
the risk of corneal infection twentyfold. The
cornea is starved of oxygen when lenses are in
and eyelids closed, making it less effective as a
barrier for keeping out germs. The overall risk
is still small ( 3.5 per 10,000 people wearing
daily soft lenses), but keratitis is painful, can
make your eyes weep and causes blindness . So
should contact lenses be treated with more
respect?
Solution
Anyone who wears contacts should take care.
Hands should be washed and thoroughly dried
before putting in or removing lenses. Lenses
should never come into contact with water of
any type, including showers. This is because
water can be contaminated by Acanthamoeba
organisms that stick tenaciously to contact
lenses and cause ulcers in the cornea. Lenses
should be removed before swimming or
watertight goggles worn.
Saliva and contact lenses are a no-no as your
mouth is full of bacteria that your eye isn’t
meant to meet. Likewise, avoid eyeliner and
apply mascara only after your lenses are in.
People who use rigid lenses should replace
their cases at least every three months, use
recommended contact lens solution and never
mix the fresh solution with the old.
If your eyes hurt, are red or blurry or you
have any doubt, take your lenses out and see
your doctor. Always have glasses as a standby.
Some people do buy lenses online, but always
see an optician regularly and be careful which
lenses you choose and how you put them in.
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