Contact lenses have evolved in terms of materials and usage over time from patient feedback. Doctors have devised daily hygiene routines using that feedback as a guide. Having a replacement schedule for contacts assures maximum vision. Most issues resulting from contact lenses come from improper care, leaving it in the eyes while sleeping or immersing contacts in water while in the eyes.
Appropriate Care
Contact lenses have cleaning solutions recommended by manufacturers, and it is not water. Disinfecting routines make the contact lens suitable to be placed directly on the eye otherwise it becomes an infection source. Washing hands with soap before handling and drying the contacts prevents infections. Contacts are not to be rinsed with tap water or bottled water.
No Shower Time With Contacts
Water in the shower does not have sterility. Rinsing contacts in water subjects the lenses to microbes that inhabit tap water. The contact lens acts as a shelter for microbes to grow in. Several infections can occur because a person showers with contacts in. Even if not a direct splash to the eye, the shower water mists reach the eye and deposit near the contact lenses. If the contact has a soft composition, it can absorb too much water and swell till the soft contact lens sticks into the eye.
Findings of Showering With Contacts On
A 2020 study looked at complications caused by watering contacts in the shower. Microbial keratitis often happens when people allow water underneath their contact lenses while in their eyes. Microbial keratitis defines as a condition where an ulcer forms on the cornea with a bacterial infection. Showering with contacts in the eyes, especially daily, became identified as the highest risk factor for getting microbial keratitis. The second highest was sleeping in contact lenses. Microbial keratitis can cause permanent vision loss; if it progresses, a person could require a corneal transplant. If set up underneath the contact lenses, several bacteria will cause an infection with discharge. In the shower water also lies an amoeba, a free-living cyst. The amoebas have a high resistance to disinfection. If the cornea becomes infected with amoebas, the condition becomes much worse than the usual bacterial infection and extremely hard to treat. Other studies looked at fungal infections, which are only a tiny portion of infection cases in the northern hemisphere. About fifty percent of eye infections become fungal in the southern hemisphere, where the tropics are located.
Conclusion
Most patients faithfully see their optometrist or ophthalmologist like the good doctors of Houston LASIK. Most buy the appropriate contact lenses and change it out. Despite educating the public, people often sleep and leave contacts in their eyes in the shower. Corneal ulcers threaten eyesight immensely. No way exists to lessen the number of microbes in the water other than what is being done by water treatment now. Changing behavior always takes time. Allowing water underneath the contacts makes it nearly impossible to keep the eyes healthy. Some conditions, such as the amoeba, take months to treat. Drive to Houston LASIK Clinic and talk with the doctors about options to form routines.
Since 2005, Houston LASIK has been providing surgical vision correction technologies to patients from the Greater Houston Area and all over the world. The center specializes in multiple premium technologies including LASIK, EVO ICL (Intraocular Collamer Lens), ASA (Advanced Surface Ablation), and RLE (Refractive Lens Exchange). Houston LASIK & Eye is well known for using state-of-the-art technology and personalized care to help patients see their best. Patients receive customized surgical solutions from a team of highly experienced and award-winning ophthalmologists and optometrists. For more information, visit www.houston-lasik.com or call 281-240-0478.
Sources
- https://www.college-optometrists.org/clinical-guidance/clinical-management-guidelines/microbialkeratitis_bacterial_fungal
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/glasses-contacts/contact-lens-care
- https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/healthy-habits-keeping-water-away-from-contact-lenses.html#:~:text=Contact%20lenses%20and%20water%20are,reduce%20the%20risk%20of%20infection.
