Sometimes the things you put on your hair, face and eyelids to look more attractive can make your contact lenses look horrible.
This is particularly the case with eyeliner and eye makeup. If either of these substances makes its way into your tear film, it can easily adhere to your contact lenses, causing discomfort, vision problems and the potential for eye infections. Read more…
The majority of contact lens wearers do not comply with safe contact lens practices, according to a new study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Of the more than 400 contact lens wearers surveyed, more than 80 percent believe they follow good practices while only 2 percent actually do so. Read more…
This year’s American Eye-Q Survey by the American Optometric Association (AOA) reveals that contact lens wear and care differ among generations. The survey examined lens habits among four generations: the traditionalist or silent generation (1925-1945), baby boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1977) and Generation Y (1978-1994). Read more…
Menicon America has released a new lens care system for cleaning and disinfecting gas permeable contact lenses. The system contains Menicon Unique pH, Menicon Progent and Menicon Rewetting Drops; and it is available for purchase online at the newly launched Menicon WebStore. Read more…
Wearing contact lenses during sleep and poor lens hygiene can lead to vision-threatening eye infections. Recently one U.K. journalist developed microbial keratitis, an infection of the cornea, after overnight contact lens wear and occasionally rinsing her contacts with tap water.
The 24-year-old journalist first noticed something was wrong when she woke up with pain in her left eye. Her eye turned red and teary with a red rim around the iris, and she became sensitive to light. Read more…
The results of several new studies concerning patient compliance with proper contact lens care were unveiled at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry held recently in San Francisco.
Key findings of these studies included:
In today’s issue of Contact Lenses Today, optometrist and contact lens specialist Morris Lehrfeld, OD, shares the following tips he gives to his patients to help keep their eyes healthy when wearing contact lenses:
Dr. Lehrfeld is an eye care provider at Palatine Vision Center, a group optometric practice in Palatine, Illinois. Contact Lenses Today is a weekly e-mail newsletter for eye doctors sponsored by the professional journal, Contact Lens Spectrum.
In this month’s issue of Contact Lens Spectrum, editor and contact lens specialist Jason J. Nichols, OD, warns that current economic conditions may be affecting how people are wearing and caring for their contact lenses.
Dr. Nichols says hard economic times can alter people’s behavior regarding their health, including how frequently they replace their contacts and how they use contact lens solutions.
“I am hearing more and more reports of patients looking for the cheapest ‘bottle’ on the shelf, which just happens to be saline rather than an appropriate care solution,” he says. Many contact lens wearers may also be using their lenses for longer periods of time rather than discarding and replacing them according to the schedule their optometrist or ophthalmologist recommends, according to Dr. Nichols.
Internet blogs and social networking sites may be contributing to the problem: some sites feature discussion boards where contact lens wearers report how they routinely wear their disposable contacts longer than recommended.
Dr. Nichols warns that poor contact lens habits frequently lead to contact lens-related eye infections, including severe infections like Acanthamoeba keratitis. He urges eye doctors to continue educating and re-educating their patients about proper contact lens wear and care.
In a related story published in the journal, a survey released by the American Optometric Association indicates 52 percent of consumers are visiting their eye doctor less frequently due to economic reasons. The same survey says 59 percent are visiting their primary care physician less frequently.
