Cheap and discounted contact lenses - they're probably one of the most mistreated items we own, yet they're vital to healthy eyes. But with a few simple care tips we can really turn things around. With so many discounted contact lens suppliers it's not even a major financial issue any more. Would you believe a recent survey discovered that lots of people clean their contact lens by licking or sucking them clean. Many people wear them for several days at a time without removing them; we sleep in them, swim in them and lean them with tap water (which has high levels of bacteria).
Cheap contact lenses often get less care and attention than most people devote to their shoes. The small slips of plastic that make glasses unnecessary have become so popular - and comfortable - that it's easy to forget they're a medical device. That's a problem, because they carry a risk of serious complications if mistreated. Contact lenses and dry eyes is just one of the early symptoms to be aware of.
If you get a bacterial infection in your eyes it can create very serious problems and painful inflammation. I know we all believe tap water is healthy and safe, but that's not quite true. Organisms that live in tap water can grow and build colonies in your eyes, and even resist most drugs. I don't want to be a scaremonger, but in serious cases people have gone blind or needed to have cornea transplants. Over the past 24 months there have been increased incidences of infections of a protozoan known as Acanthamoeba.
Just recently, a young man in his early twenties (Rocco) had only been a contact lens wearer for a matter of months when got an infection that gave him throbbing pain in his left eye, which was also very inflamed and angry red inside. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with having Acanthamoeba.
The doctors tried various drugs and medications, but after 6 months of nothing working he was sent for a cornea transplant as the only way to save his sight in that eye. The Acanthamoeba had colonized his eye, and caused scar tissue which was now blurring his vision.
Now Rocco is facing a second transplant in his other eye. "I'd hate to see this happen to anyone else," Rocco said. "Tell the people to keep those things clean." All it takes is an effective contact lens cleaner and some contact lens cases and you're set.
But don't panic - Acanthamoeba is still relatively rare, and doctors believe it only affects about one or two contact lens wearers in every one million. However, bacterial infections are much more common, affecting about 1 in 2500 wearers every year.
The eye has natural defense mechanisms, but contact lenses counteract them. When you blink, your eyelid acts like a windshield wiper to spread tears across the top layer of the eye, or epithelium, washing away any bacteria or foreign bodies (like dust). A contact lens puts a barrier between your eye and your eyelid, so your eyes natural defense is interrupted. So it's vital that you keep your lenses clean with a good contact lens cleaner kit.
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There's good news for lens wearers who had to give up their contacts because they're "heavy depositors." For reasons not fully understood, some people leave larger- than-average amounts of mucus like protein deposits on their lenses, shortening the life of the lens and causing discomfort. Now they can get lenses made of special protein-resistant materials that actually resist some deposits.
Even baby boomers unwilling to wear bifocals for presbyopia, a decrease in focusing ability that begins around age 40 and makes reading difficult, have contact lens options.
Bifocal contacts have been on the market for years but have disappointed many wearers because they don't work as well as their developers hoped. The problem was simple: Bifocal lenses are for people who are both nearsighted and farsighted, and you can't always fit two prescription needs into one tiny lens.
Again, technology has improved these patients' prospects, manufacturers say, but not as much as they would like. For now motivation is the key. Bifocal contact lenses are suitable only for those people who absolutely won't wear glasses.
There's a new sensibility, too, about extended wear soft lenses, approved for general use in 1981 and greeted by the media as the best thing since homogenized milk (or of course sliced bread).
Initially, their manufacturers said they could be left in place up to a month before removal for cleansing. But soon after the lenses' debut came reports that wearers were contracting frequent eye infections. All these innovations and advancements in technology have made the availability of cheap contact lenses for all.
Now, many eye doctors recommend that extended wear lenses be cleaned once a week.
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About Me
Looking after your health is one of the most important things you can (and should) do. But with so much information it's hard to know where to start or who to listen to. Hopefully by sharing my experiences and knowledge, I'll make the path to improving and protecting your health a lot easier to follow.
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