Contact lenses relieve the wear of glasses, but if they are not taken care of, a number of infections and complications occur.
Sleeping with contact lenses
The tear film moistens the eye and nourishes the cornea with oxygen. Tears are shed in the blink of an eye, and when the eye is open it comes in contact with oxygen from the air. When we sleep, there is no exchange of tears (because we do not blink), but also the eye is closed and the exchange of tears is reduced. Sleeping with lenses additionally covers the cornea and does provide enough oxygen. At the same time, there is no exchange of tears and we suffer from lack of oxygen (hypoxia) and dryness.
In people who wear contact lenses for a long time (whether hard, semi-hard or soft), due to the mechanical action of the lens (pressure on the cornea, especially if the eye is dry or an inappropriate lens is used in the eye), the cornea may take on an irregular shape and there may be some features of keratoconus and patients complain of impaired vision. Keratoconus is a condition of the cornea that protrudes into a cone. The initial symptoms are difficulty concentrating at night, scattering light around a light source in the form of haloes or stars. In daylight, on the other hand, there is photosensitivity or hypersensitivity to light.
For these reasons it is not recommended to sleep with contact lenses.
People who wear contact lenses have a lower intolerance to eye infections
Any contact lens is like a foreign body in the eye and can cause serious complications. If contact lenses are worn in the shower and the contact lens comes in contact with water, inflammation of the cornea can be caused by the acanthamoeba parasite. Inflammation is more difficult to treat and the most serious complication it can lead to is corneal transplantation. That is why it is very important to educate yourself before wearing contact lenses.
Dry eye is most common in people who wear contact lenses
The modern lifestyle that includes air-conditioned rooms, long hours in front of a screen, develops dryness of the eye faster. Dry eye also occurs in people who do not wear contact lenses, but most often it is in people who wear contact lenses. People who wear contact lenses as symptoms of dry eye state: inability to wear contact lenses for more than 2 hours, feeling as if there is a foreign body in the eye, scratching or as if they have sand in the eye. If a strange condition is felt in the eye, the lenses should be removed immediately and an examination should be scheduled as soon as possible.
Wearing contact lenses after their expiration date
The first and foremost thing about using contact lenses is their shelf life. If the lens is worn longer than it should be, its characteristics change and various deposits accumulate that cause infections.
Solution against contact lens infection
In order to avoid contact lens infections, first of all, every person who wants to wear this type of lens should be very informed about their maintenance and what are the pros and cons of wearing contact lenses.
Wear contact lenses for a short period of the day, only when it is mandatory and take them off before going to bed.
If the diopter is something that the patient wants to remove and not worry about infections or complications from wearing contact lenses, they can do laser diopter correction. Laser diopter correction is a way to get rid of contact lenses and glasses in a simple and safe way without worrying about contact lens infections.