Contact lenses WARNING!

[Zombie]

If you wear contacts

- do you swim in them?

- do you shower in them?

- do you wash them in water?

- do ever let water get on them?

- do you sometimes not follow the lens handling guidance?

- do you sometimes forget to change you lens case every month?

- are you sometimes careless about washing your hands thoroughly?

 

If "yes" to any of these you need to be aware of the risks of eye infection and even blindness and you might want to read this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2191190/I-swam-contact-lenses--Im-blind-eye.html

[joann414]

Thanks for posting this info Zombie. Makes me never want to touch my lenses period.lol. This is such a wierd thing, that probably none of us has ever even thought about. Poor girl.

[VictoryPanda]

That's gross. I had no idea. Thank God I chose to be a bit more healthy this go around with my contacts. I use to sleep like no ones business with them in all the time and refused to take them out for anything. Too much of a task. Though, now isn't really the story so much. Besides the past few nights since my dog ate my lens case and I had nothing to put them in.

[Arpeggio]

great, im getting new ones tomorrow. >_<

[AquariusGuy]

Contact lenses are no joke. I've never had trouble with mine but my eye doctor can tell horror stories about them. She works at the local hospital ER during her off time. She gave me this solution that works wonders and it has hydrogen peroxide in it. She told me some of the stories that go along with patients trips to the ER with the solutions.

[Sara Alva]

Yup. Something similar just happened to my husband last month. Luckily, they caught it early enough, but the doc did say if they hadn't treated it immediately he could've gone blind in that eye.

[Henry_Henry2012]

OMG. I wear contacts because I lost my spectacles a few weeks ago. This is a sign I should buy new glasses.

[Canuk]

Frankly I still wear glasses - I simply cannot put things in my eyes - and having to visit the specialist to get it done seems a little extravagent!

[Slytherin]

Yes to three of the questions Thanks for posting, I will be more careful now

[Gulab Jamun]

The organism (Acanthameba) causes keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) very frequenly...but it can also rarely cause encephalitis (Inflammation of the brain) which can be fatal...so guys please take care

[podga]

My ophthalmologist once remarked that he was astounded at the number of people he saw, who spent hours and days researching what clothes or shoes to buy, but didn't even know what brand contact lenses or solution they used. It drove home how casually many of us have come to treat contact lenses.

 

The risks of swimming or showering in them is a new one on me, though. And the convenience of wearing lenses (in any sport) is unsurpassed for those of us that can't correct our vision with other means. Corrective goggles are a good option for the pool, but not much else. After this article, I'll be checking with my ophthalmologist on further ways to reduce risk as much as possible.

 

Thanks for the heads-up, Zombie!