Contact Lenses and Eye Safety

Approximately 1 out of 20 people will have contact lens related problems.

Are you one of them?

Through recent research it has been found that contact lenses can affect several different areas of the eye. These effects could be simple irritation to more sight threatening complications. You may have experienced some of these problems or just had a concern about them.

The weather, oxygen and their effect on your eyes.

The weather and the wearing of contacts both have an effect. The eye cleans itself from harmful bacteria and other foreign substances through the process of creating what is known as the tear film. Not only does it protect the eye but it also carries the moisture and oxygen to help and protect the eye. The reduced amount of oxygen on the surface of the eye in turn reduces the blood flow to the cornea, which can create complications. While soft contact lenses have less of an effect on this than hard lenses it still does have an effect. And there are other problems that contacts can cause with your eyes.

Now throw in dry weather, the wind and the fluctuating temperatures you can see what your eyes are dealing with on a daily basis. In many instances, the risk to the health of your eyes is greater from wearing contact lenses than from today’s LASIK or laser vision correction eye procedures.

And there are the aspects of “chronic wear and tear” from continual contact lens wear to the eye from simply having this foreign substance or particle in the eye. This can predispose an eye to infections and if you might have even experienced these difficulties yourself.

What are your alternatives?

LASIK or laser vision correction procedures are alternatives to contact lens wear. While not having them to affect your eyes in a potentially dangerous way is of great benefit you will also receive the benefit of having very improved eyesight if not 20-20.