Potential Hazards of Wearing Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are safer now than they’ve ever been! They are less abrasive and more comfortable to wear than the early contact lenses. They allow many individuals who need vision correction to shun eyeglasses and show off their beautiful eyes to the world. Nonetheless, contact lenses do present potential hazards to contact lens wearers.

Eye Irritation

Some people experience eye irritation as a result of wearing contact lenses. The symptoms may include discomfort, itching or burning, excessive tearing, a gritty sensation (like sand particles scratching the surface of your eye), and/or excessive redness. Eye irritation may also lead to pain, swelling, blurred vision, and eventually, eye infection or ulcer of the cornea.

If your eyes become irritated from wearing contacts, you should immediately remove your lenses and do NOT put them back in! Consult your eye professional right away, and take your contact lenses with you, in case the professional wants to check them out to help find the cause of the eye irritation.

More Serious Hazards

Continuing to wear your contacts after developing any type of eye irritation can lead to more serious problems. Among those problems are eye infections, pink eye, and corneal ulcers (open sores in the outer layer of the cornea).

According to the Food and Drug Administration, steps CAN be taken to reduce these serious risks.

Replace your contact lens storage case every 3 to 6 months.

Always clean and disinfect your lenses properly

Never reuse contact lens solution! Always use fresh solution each time you store your lenses. And never, ever use distilled or tap water for storing or cleaning your contact lenses! Distilled water and tap water are NOT sterile!!! (By the same token, saliva is NOT acceptable for cleaning your lenses, either!)

Remove your contacts before swimming or going to bed. Even though some types of contact lenses are said to be safe to sleep in, doing so can increase the likelihood of eye irritations and infections.

Sensible and Safe Use of Contact Lenses

If worn with precaution and by following good, hygienic care, contact lenses may be safe and convenient. Be sure to follow the advice of your eye care professional on how to clean, disinfect, and store your lenses. Also, wear your contacts only as prescribed!

Cyndi Schoenhals is author of 888-Contact-Lens.com, where you can get the best deals on Color Contact Lenses, and other popular styles.