But wearing contact lenses does come with some risk, according to experts.
Swimming with contacts
First, to decrease the risk of wearing contact lenses, take them off before swimming. Researchers have found wearing contacts under water is linked with dangerous eye infections arising from contaminated water and chlorine. Chemicals in the water can be absorbed by the contact lenses. You can slightly decrease the risk by wearing underwater goggles. Also, dispose of your contacts after they have been exposed to chlorinated water or seawater.
Contacts and fungal outbreaks
According to news releases, the ReNu product by Mausch & Lomb called MoistureLoc contact lens solution may be connected to fungal keratitis, a rare eye infection. The company stopped shipment of the product. The eye infection is serious because it can cause damage to the cornea and is not easily treated.
Buying contact lenses on-line
It's important to be cautious when purchasing contact lenses off the Internet. On-line sellers need to verify prescriptions or face penalties.
The reason it's important to the consumer is because you should never purchase contact lenses unless you first see an optometrist for an updated prescription.
Even if you are wearing cosmetic contact lenses just for appearance because you want to have green eyes today instead of brown, make sure you visit an optometrist first. You need to have your eyes checked before wearing contacts even if you have perfect vision.
In the summer of 2006, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission sent numerous letters to on-line sellers of decorative contact lenses that claimed people did not need a prescription.
In 2005, the U. S. Congress made it more difficult for people to purchase decorative contact lenses without a prescription. They amended laws into include colored and decorative contact lenses under a restricted category along with other medical devices.
Cosmetic contact lenses pose risks such as eye injury and blindness when sold without a proper fitting.
Finally, when you make an appointment to see an eye doctor, you will receive a regular screening exam to check your vision. Also, a trained professional will be on hand to show you how to correctly put contact lenses into your eyes whether you are using contact lenses to see or just for vanity.
It's been said you can see into a person's soul by gazing into their eyes. But with new advances in science and medicine, it may be possible to gaze into a person's contact lenses to see whether they have low blood sugar. Scientists have been working on contact lenses that will reflect a person's blood sugar in order to help them manage their diabetes.
According to researchers, the new method will mean people will not have to prick their skin to draw blood for blood sugar testing. It will be less painful and less invasive. Since diabetes changes the blood vessels in the retina, scientists have been able to create glucose sensitive contact lenses. They used boronic acid, which creates a reaction that can be seen when a person uses a device to flash blue light into the eyes.
Young children and contact lenses
For decades, experts have debated whether it's safe for young children to wear contact lenses. The latest research shows young people can wear rigid contact lenses without a negative effect. The rigid lenses have been found to slow myopia in some children. The condition is a serious one, which can lead to vision loss and glaucoma. Myopia usually develops around the age of 5, 6 or 7 but it does not progress until the child is a teenager. Researchers say it takes children at least a month to get used to wearing rigid contact lenses. They speculate the rigid lenses where better than soft contact lenses for children because they allow more oxygen to flow to the cornea.
The cost of wearing rigid contact lenses is about half as much as disposable contact lenses. Prevent infections with lens cases Whether you are wearing contact lenses or your child, another breakthrough for contact lens wearers is in the area of lens cases. According to researchers, you can prevent eye infections by using new advanced lens cases with antimicrobial ingredients that kill contaminants. The product is sold as CIBA Vision's Pro-Guard Lens Case, which has silver atoms charged to reduce contaminations.
Many people do not think about how they are contaminating their contact lenses by virtue of putting them in a case that is not completely sterile or immune to infectious strains. Finally, another advance in contact lenses is SynergEyes Inc.?s PS hybrid contact lens, which is intended to actually correct vision problems that came about because of a trauma to the eye. The contacts have a rigid center but are softer around the edges for a more comfortable fit.
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