Serious problems with contact lenses are thankfully rare. However, they can crop up when the recommended hygiene procedures aren’t adhered to, or when contact lenses are not ordered through a registered optician.
Some contact lens wearers may experience mild discomfort from their lenses, such as dry, itchy and/or red eyes. These symptoms usually improve once the lenses have been removed. Common causes of these symptoms are from dirty, dusty or damaged lenses. Inside out lenses will cause the same discomforts but can easily be fixed by removing the lens and reinserting the right way round.
More serious problems such as corneal infection are possible when good lens hygiene is consistently not followed. Recent horror stories such as corneal-eating amoeba causing blindness have been reported. Again, this would be down to poor hygiene practises, consistent wear for longer than recommended or poor quality lenses bought from non trusted / recommended opticians.
The risk of vision loss from contact lenses is actually 5 times higher than from having laser eye surgery
There are some simple steps that should be followed when buying and using contacts to help keep contact lens problems minimal. Nearly all of which are based around good hygiene practises.
The Most Common Contact Lens Problems And Solutions:
- Always order your contact lenses from a reputable and trusted optician. Cheap / poorly made lenses can lead to serious complications and even cause blindness.
- Keep on top of your regular check-ups to ensure your eyes are staying healthy.
- Don’t fall asleep in your contact lenses and try to steer away from constant wear lenses. Despite constant wear lenses being classified as safe to wear all day and night (you can sleep in them), your eyes require oxygen to stay healthy. Contact lenses essentially deprive your eyes of oxygen, so limiting the time lenses are worn is essential.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly when handling your lenses. We recommend you use an antibacterial, unperfumed hand soap to wash your hands and paper towels / kitchen roll to dry them afterwards. Some towels can leave tiny bits of fluff on your fingers, which make their way onto your lenses causing discomfort.
- Use contact lens friendly eye drops if you suffer from dry eyes. These drops will provide instant relief from ‘dry eyes’, which can develop from heating, air conditioning, strong winds etc.
- Always dispose of your lenses after the recommended time period. For example, 30-day lenses should be disposed of after 30 days. Dailies should be disposed of at the end of the day and not re-worn. These lenses aren’t designed for prolonged wear and can become damaged / split whilst you’re wearing them if you wear them for longer than stated.
- Always remove your lenses if your eyes become painful or irritated. Keeping your lenses in once your eyes are irritated could lead to infections or scratched eye surfaces.
- Check your lenses each time you use them to spot any signs of damage. If your lenses appear damaged, dispose of them immediately.
If you would like to learn more, please call Focus Clinic on 0207 307 8250.
