Currently, more than 125 million people around the world regularly use contact lenses. What they may not know is that wearing lenses, when you do not follow certain hygiene rules, exposes them to several serious diseases, such as eye infections, corneal ulcers, or even blindness . That's what happened to this man who ended up with a blind eye!
Our eye normally fights infections through a variety of defense mechanisms such as tears and blinking. However, when you wear contact lenses and you do not follow all hygiene precautions related to the wearing of lenses, the effectiveness of these mechanisms may be inhibited, which exposes the eyes to several dangers.
6 dangers of wearing contact lenses
1. Higher risk of eye infections
Keratitis is the most common infection that can result from wearing contact lenses, it is caused by dust, bacteria, viruses and in rare cases, eye parasites. If there are scratches on your contact lenses, they can scratch the outer surface of your cornea, facilitating the entry of bacteria and causing an infection. These scrapes on the cornea are also known as corneal abrasion.
2. Loss of vision and blindness
When eye infections or corneal ulcers caused by contact lenses are not treated, they can lead to visual impairment and permanent blindness. This is especially true for bacterial keratitis, which can damage the structure and shape of the cornea.
3. Corneal scars
If you are allergic to the material used to make contact lenses (plastic or silicone) or if you keep contact lenses for too long, it can cause inflammation and corneal damage that can cause scars and irreversible damage to your vision.
4. Dry eye syndrome
Itching, irritation, dryness and red eyes are the most common symptoms when wearing contact lenses, and these symptoms usually indicate dry eye syndrome.
Studies on dry eye syndrome and contact lenses show that dry eye syndrome affects both short and long-term soft contact lens wearers.
5. Ptosis (droopy eyelids)
The ptosis is the technical term for the drooping upper eyelids, and research shows that there is a direct link between the wearing of soft and rigid contact lenses and ptosis. However, studies show that people who wear rigid contact lenses are 20 times more likely to develop ptosis than those who wear soft lenses.
6. Corneal ulcers
Eye infections caused by contact lenses can lead to corneal ulcers, which are painful and open sores on the outer layer of the cornea. Research suggests that those who wear contact lenses for too long are 10 times more likely to have corneal ulcers.
As a testament to the dangers of wearing contact lenses, here is the story of this young man who made the mistake of sleeping while wearing his lenses.
An unsuspected danger
Chad Groeschen, a 39-year-old man, noticed that his left eye was particularly irritated. He thought it was just an allergy.
The next day, he woke up to find that his eye was dry and his vision impaired. The next day, his vision got worse.
A friend of Chad told him to head to the Cincinnati Eye Institute, where the doctors told him that his eye was infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas, and the disease can "incubate" under contact lenses.
Doctors gave him antibiotics that eliminated the infection, but Chad's eye developed a corneal ulcer and he is now blind because of the scar left by the bacteria.
Chad said it was like looking through a piece of opaque glass because the infection feeds on the cornea.
The specialists have informed Chad that he would probably need a corneal transplant to restore his vision, and it takes a year to heal completely.
Dr. William Faulkner, who treated Chad, said that wearing contact lenses at night is not a good idea.
It is imperative to follow the instructions of your ophthalmologist when prescribing contact lenses and be strict about hygiene, the use of appropriate products and the authorized wearing time. When all these rules are respected, the wearing of contact lenses does not generate health problems.