Common Problems with Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are accepted all over the world as an efficient and comfortable visual aid. They are suitable alternative to wearing spectacle glasses not only on cosmetic grounds but also in certain clinical conditions which have been discussed earlier. However, contact lenses can create irritation. Inflammation and infections if not carefully preserved and looked after. The following guidelines are worth observing for contact lenses to give maximum benefit to the wearer:

(a) The wearer must have clean hands while inserting contact lenses. Nails must be short.

(b) The mirror should be used to wear and remove contact lenses. This prevents them from falling out and getting lost.

(c) A clean table with paper top is necessary if the contact lenses are being put on in a sitting position.

(d) The solution of care/washing must be regularly replaced on the expiry date.

(e) Enzyme tablets/boiling kit should be used under the supervision of a specialist in contact lens.

2. Polishing, sterilizing, inserting and removing contact lenses carefully and hygienically are very important to avoid source of infection.

3. The overstretching of lens wear-wearing contact lenses for more than the prescribed time accumulates mucus and infects the lens. The lenses, on an average, must be removed after eight hours of wearing and put away in cleaning lotion. A break of forty minutes or so before the next eight hours is ideal. Glasses can beworn during the break.

4. The wearing period of contact lenses, to be more practical, should be on the minimum side. Longwearing or extended-wear lenses are an exception and are recommended in a few cases only.

5. A word of caution is necessary about extended-wear contact lenses. They are ideal in conditions of pollution and dust, which are common in our environment. They require skilful fitting and careful follow-ups by the specialist.

6. The precise fitting and mounding of contact lenses over the cornea depend on the skill of the contact lens specialist. An excessively tight fit and loose fit on the cornea are both sources of irritation and strain. They can lead to infection in the long term. The fitting of a contact lens is a high-tech science and must be completely monitored and not left to the trader or ordinary technician. The wear and tear of contact lenses is detected by regular inspection and checking at a contact lens clinic or under the guidance of a contact lens specialist. A three-monthly check in a contact lens clinic is mandatory.

A torn, chipped or scratched lens is also a source of irritation and infection. The source of irritation and infection is not lens itself but the neglect and shortcoming in its maintenance by the user.

An expert has rightly said: Keep your contact lens as clean as you will keep your surgical instruments.