Cheap and - they're probably one of the most mistreated items we own, yet they're vital to healthy eyes. But with a few simple care tips we can really turn things around. With so many discount contact lens suppliers it's not even a major financial issue any more. Would you believe a recent survey discovered that lots of people clean their contact lens by licking or sucking them clean. Many people wear them for several days at a time without removing them; we sleep in them, swim in them and lean them with tap water (which has high levels of bacteria).Cheap contact lenses often get less care and attention than most people devote to their shoes. The small slips of plastic that make glasses unnecessary have become so popular - and comfortable - that it's easy to forget they're a medical device. That's a problem, because they carry a risk of serious complications if mistreated. Contact lenses and dry eyes is just one of the early symptoms to be aware of.If you get a bacterial infection in your eyes it can create very serious problems and painful inflammation. I know we all believe tap water is healthy and safe, but that's not quite true. Organisms that live in tap water can grow and build colonies in your eyes, and even resist most drugs. I don't want to be a scaremonger, but in serious cases people have gone blind or needed to have cornea transplants. Over the past 24 months there have been increased incidences of infections of a protozoan known as Acanthamoeba.A 20 year old contact lens wearer named Rocco had only been wearing lenses for several months when he started to experience a painful throbbing in his eyes each morning when he woke up. His eye was red raw and quite painful. He suspected it was a case of "pink eye", but after visiting his doctor he discovered it was Acanthamoeba.They tried various drugs to clear, but after several months of nothing working, he had to have a cornea transplant. Doctors said it was the only way they could save his sight, as all of the medications they'd tried had been ineffective.Now Rocco is facing a second transplant in his other eye. "I'd hate to see this happen to anyone else," Rocco said. "Tell the people to keep those things clean." All it takes is an effective contact lens cleaner and some contact lens cases and you're set.Having said all that, outbreaks of Acanthamoeba are still relatively rare. Statistics show that there are only about one or two reported cases of it in every one million contact lens wearers. The more common problem is bacterial infections, which affect approximately 1 in every 2500 wearers each year.The eye has natural defense mechanisms, but counteract them. When you blink, your eyelid acts like a windshield wiper to spread tears across the top layer of the eye, or epithelium, washing away any bacteria or foreign bodies (like dust). A contact lens puts a barrier between your eye and your eyelid, so your eyes natural defense is interrupted. So it's vital that you keep your lenses clean with a good contact lens cleaner kit.