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Terrible ‘eye-giene’ puts contact lens wearers at risk of blindness
Terrible ‘eye-giene’ puts contact lens wearers at risk of blindness
27 April 2007
70% of UK contact lens wearers guilty of bad eye hygiene habits – and women are the worst
Almost three quarters of contact lens wearers are risking the health of their eyes because of their dirty habits, according to a new study by The College of Optometrists. The new figures show one in five people LICK their contact lenses before putting them in their eyes and two out of five put their lenses in with dirty hands.
Shockingly, over 15% of wearers will pick a contact lens off the floor and pop it straight in their eye without cleaning it and 70% of people keep their lenses in for far too long every day. But careless contact lens wearers rarely realise their bad habits increase the risk of their contracting dangerous and painful eye diseases which can leave sufferers blind.
Men are the lazy ones when it comes to caring for their eyes, with more than half sleeping in their lenses and 44% not bothering to wash their hands before putting their lenses in. But surprisingly women have the dirtiest habits. Nearly a quarter of women lick their lenses before putting them in their eyes and 16% will use a dirty lens they have dropped on the floor. And not only do they share make-up, but some women even admit to sharing their contact lenses with their best friends.
Experts warn that even habits that seem harmless such as washing lenses in tap water or using a different cleansing solution can damage the wearer’s eyes. Tap water contains bacteria that can blind you and using the wrong contact lens solution can produce allergic reactions or even burn the eye.
Kevin Lewis, President of the College of Optometrists said: “Our eyes are precious but we tend to take our eye health for granted. We need to appreciate that treating them carelessly and with bad hygiene habits may well cause problems in the future. Poor hygiene can lead to infections which range from a simply uncomfortable but temporary problem to a very nasty health issue that is extremely painful and may lead to blindness.”
To help protect your eye health, The College of Optometrists advises contact lens wearers:
- Only ever wear contact lenses for the maximum time recommended by your optician
- Use the contact lens solutions that are recommended by your optician – do not use tap water on them, use the wrong solution or lick them
- Don’t wear a contact lens that is chipped or damaged, or the wrong lens in the wrong eye
- Don’t wear anybody else’s contact lenses
- If you wear re-usable contact lenses, make sure you clean them between uses or if they drop on the floor. Always wash your hands before you put your contact lenses in your eyes
- Don’t sleep in your contact lenses unless your optician says that you can
- Visit an optometrist regularly – unless your optometrist tells you otherwise people should have their contact lens check-ups at least every year.