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Contact lenses users beware

DUBAI - Opthalmologists in the UAE have cautioned users of contact lenses to exercise proper care following the recent withdrawal of an eye lens care lotion from the market after a blindness scare.

Dr Anupama Rao, Specialist Ophthalmologist, Welcare Hospital, said, “The use of contact lenses (CL) is very common in today’s age. It has been estimated that about 125 million people use contact lenses worldwide. Most people use them to correct their vision but some use cosmetic lenses to enhance their appearance.”

“Although contact lenses have a lot of benefits, especially for those who have high refractive errors or for those whose occupation makes wearing glasses difficult, we need to be aware that things can go wrong at times. It is therefore very important for the CL wearers to be familiar with the hygienic practices that need to be followed during the use,” she said.

Explaining the multitude of lens types available in the market, Dr Rao said that these can be classified under different heads depending on the function — as corrective, cosmetic and therapeutic. The lens types can also be classified on the basis of wearing time — as daily wear which has to be removed prior to sleeping, extended wear for continuous overnight use and continuous wear for long periods like 30 consecutive nights. Another parameter is disposability — as daily, fortnightly or monthly or quarterly or annual lenses. Classification is also by shape — as spherical or toric lenses (used to correct astigmatism); by material — PMMA, polymacon or silicon hydrogel lenses; by implantation — intraocular or implantable contact lenses which can be placed inside the eye.

She also said that CL wear can be a safe method of vision correction. “There is always a risk whenever a biomedical device is used in the eye, but one can minimise the risks by being rigorous in one’s approach to lens care and hygiene,” she added.

Dr Rao described the main forms of ocular inflammation that can arise due to bacteria and other microorganisms from various sources and also recommended important points to be checked by CL users.

Hands: One must always wash hands with soap before handling the lenses.

Solutions: It is very important that the solutions used to clean and store lenses are sterile. The main source of contamination is the bottle nozzle — one should be careful not to touch the bottle tip or leave it uncovered. Once opened, solutions should also be discarded every month, regardless of the expiry date.

Lens cases: Cases should be thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water at least once a week, dried with a lint free cloth and then left to completely air dry before lenses are put back into the case.

Tap water: One should use sterile solutions to clean and store your lenses and never tap water for this purpose.

In case a problem arises, one can identify it early by checking for a few things everyday. The five most important things you should check for each day are:

Redness — A red eye indicates an irritated or inflamed eye. You may not feel any discomfort so always check in the mirror.

If you cannot answer ‘yes’ to all of these, or you have any other doubts concerning your contact lenses, remove your lenses immediately and seek the advice of your contact lens practitioner.

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