These Contact Lenses Mistakes
Could Seriously Damage Your
Eyes
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns in a new report
that people who wear contact lenses and don’t care for them
properly risk developing serious infections.
About 41 million Americans wear contact lenses, and people get
so used to having them in their eyes, they either forget about
them or don’t believe they’re at risk for injury and infection
if they don’t use them as directed.
According to the CDC’s report, 1 in 5 lens-related eye
infections reported to a federal database involved a patient
who experienced eye damage.
Michael Beach, Ph.D., director of CDC’s Healthy Water Program,
said in a statement:
“Contact lenses are a safe and effective form of vision
correction when worn and cared for as recommended. However,
improper wear and care of contact lenses can cause eye
infections that sometimes lead to serious, long-term damage.”
Read: How Contact Lenses “Permanently Alter” 5,000 Strains of
Eye Bacteria
What The CDC Uncovered
For the report, researchers looked at more than 1,000 contact
lens-related infections reported to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) between 2005 and 2015. Some of the
patients required a corneal implant to repair a scarred
cornea, while others suffered reduced vision.
Of the reports they reviewed, 10% of the incidentsinvolved a
visit to an emergency department or urgent care clinic.
As the researchers point out, it doesn’t take much to cause
excruciating eye pain that can disrupt your daily life. Many
documented cases involved patients who had to make daily
visits to an eye doctor, or apply eye drops every hour to
treat the infection.
I had a friend who narrowly avoided having a corneal
transplant after she somehow stabbed herself in the eye with a
straw that was sticking out of her drink while she was
unlocking her car door. However, a large number of the
injuries reviewed by the CDC – more than 1 in 4 – could have
been easily prevented using (I hate to say it) common sense.
These easily avoidable behaviors included wearing contact
lenses while sleeping, and wearing them for longer than
recommended.
According to the CDC, sleeping with your contact lenses in
increases your risk of infection by 6 to 8 times. [2]
Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in
New York City, explained:
“There is a serious health crisis with contact lens-related
eye injuries. Unfortunately, many of the 41 million contact
lens users in the United States do not think of a contact
lens as a medical device they are placing on the surface of
their eye.”
Other mistakes contact wearers made included using tap water
instead of disinfectant solution to clean their lenses, or
using old disinfectant solution – a move which Thomas
Steinemann, a clinical spokesman for the American Academy of
Ophthalmology, called “a terrible idea.” [3]
According to Steinemann, disinfectant solution loses its
potency over time, and can harbor bacteria. It’s best to dump
out the solution, clean out the case with a little extra
solution, and let it air dry.
Showering or swimming with your lenses in, or hanging onto
your storage case for too long are also no-nos.
Safety Tips For People Who Wear
Contacts
The American Optometric Association has a few safety
recommendations for people who wear contact lenses: [1]
Visit your eye doctor every year.
Buy your contact lenses from a trusted source. Poorly
fitting contact lenses can significantly damage the eyes
and could lead to irreversible vision loss.
Don’t freak out if you “lose” a lens in your eye. If
your contact has moved and is not visible, put a few eye
drops in your eye, look away from where you feel the
lens, and lift your eyelid. Once you spot the lens, use
the tip of your finger to remove it. If this keeps
happening, see your eye doctor so he can check the fit
of your lenses.
Never share contact lenses with another person. Sharing
lenses means sharing germs and bacteria that may lead to
infection. You wouldn’t chew someone else’s gum, would
you? Plus, your friend’s contacts may not be the right
size for your eyes.
Don’t use tap water to rinse your contact lenses. Tap
water doesn’t remove mucus, secretions, films, or
deposits as well as contact fluid does. Tap water also
contains bacteria and other microorganisms that can
cause serious infections.
Keep your lens case clean. Rinse your case with
solution, and store it upside down and open to dry
fully. Purchase a new case every 3 months.
Never, ever sleep with your contact lenses in.
Never over-wear your lenses.
Sources:
[1] CBS News
[2] HealthDay
[3] NPR
Originally
Posted: http://naturalsociety.com/these-contact-lens-mistakes-
could-seriously-damage-your-eyes-2984/
Author: JULIE FIDLER