Contact lens can cause damage to the eyes

 

This is a fashionable accessory especially if you are tired of wearing glasses with frames. Also, if you desire having more colourful eyes, the urge for contact lenses is strong.

People wear contact lens for various reasons-to make a particular fashion statement or to correct some eye defects especially in situations where you are not comfortable wearing prescription eye glasses.

Contact lenses have the ability to dramatically change the colour of your eyes-blue, hazel, purple or any colour you want. You get more attention to your eyes with a contact lens and you get an elaborate make-up around the eye region, which could have been restricted by a pair of glasses. Pretty fashion idea, isn’t it?

What you may not know is this fashion ‘accessory’ when worn for long periods of time can damage your eyes permanently!

If prescription contact lenses, which are designed to correct eye disorders, have side effects, then fashion contact lenses, which are made cheaply, can be of more damaging effects.

These coloured contact lenses do not correct vision. They just change the appearance of the eyes with varying colours. They are fun and fashionable, but wearing them can have serious consequences like itches on the cornea (the top layer of the eyeball), corneal infection (an ulcer on the cornea), conjunctivitis (pink eye), decreased vision, and blindness.

For starters, the contact lens should fit properly, and only eye doctors, such as an ophthalmologist or optometrist, can measure each eye to properly fit the lenses. They also evaluate how eyes respond to contact lenses. What many users do not know is that lenses come in different sizes, which simply means not just anyone fits your eyes. So, what are the ills of wearing the contact lens?

Infections: When a contact lens doesn’t fit correctly, it can rub against the cornea of the eye and cause infections. In very serious situations, these infections can even lead to blindness.

Inflammation: A contact lens that is not prescribed by a doctor and fitted correctly could scar the eye permanently and cause it to become inflamed. Also, long time wear can cause small bumps or swellings under your eyelids.

Blurred vision: The centre of a coloured contact lens is left clear for sight while the outside ring contains the colour. So, when the pupil grows larger, as is the case in darkness, a person’s vision may become blurred as it prevents the pupil from doing its job.

Swelling of the eye: Contact lenses prevent oxygen from entering the eyes naturally. Lack of oxygen causes the eyes to swell. Constant touching, wiping or rubbing of the eyes can also cause swelling.

Dry eyes: These lenses prevent the natural creation of tears. Dry eyes usually occur when your eyes feel hot, if you feel as if there’s something stuck in your eyes, or if your eyes feel like tearing or burning.

Red eyes: If you are allergic to the lens preservative or cleaning solution, your eyes become very red.

Damage to the cornea: Careless attachment of a contact lens can scratch or scrape your cornea and can cause swelling or haziness of vision. The more serious damages are: hypoxia, which is lack of oxygen, bacterial keratitis, which is a corneal infection, and infiltrative keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea.