Have you seen someone so dark in complexion yet spotting greenish eyes? Sometimes the eye colours are everything but the colour of a black person’s eye shade.
Again, the eyes may be luminous, looking like those of an animal when it’s caught in reflective light in the dark.But you need not wonder again: the open secret is that the eye colour or, worse still, the incandescence, is made possible through the abusive use of contact lens.
Ordinarily, contact lenses, being medical devices, are used to treat all sorts of eye ailments such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism
(blurred vision due to the shape of the cornea), and presbyopia (inability to see close up).
“These conditions can develop very quickly and can be very serious. In rare cases, these conditions can cause blindness,” the scientists advise.
Though contact lenses have come to stay and they make the use of reading glasses less conspicuous, physicians are warning that you cannot determine the seriousness of a problem that develops when you are wearing contact lenses.
An ophthalmologist, Dr. Tolu Ajayeoba, says eye irritation or infection can attend the use of contact lens, even when they may have been prescribed by the specialist. She says symptoms such as discomfort, excess tearing or other discharge, unusual sensitivity to light, itching, burning, or gritty feelings, unusual redness, blurred vision, swelling and pain are some of the warning signs that your contact lens are doing everything but what they have been recommended to do!
Beyond these, Ajayeoba warns, there are various reasons to be careful with contact lens use, even under the supervision of a physician. She says, for instance, in extreme cases, contact lens can give you corneal ulcers, eye infections, and even blindness!
In addition, experts say, contact lens can give you pink eye (conjunctivitis), corneal abrasions (cutting, scratching, or abrading of the cornea) and eye irritation.
Some of these problems are due to the fact that some contact lens users don’t follow the rules. Ajayeoba counsels that for the safety of your eyes, “it is recommended that contact lens should be removed at bedtime in order to reduce the risk of infection and or the risk of contact lens intolerance.”
Towards this end, scientists at the University of Michigan’s Kellog Eye Centre warn that people who wear any type of lens overnight have a greater chance of developing infections of the cornea.
“These infections are often due to poor cleaning and lens care. Improper over-wearing of contact lenses can result in intolerance, leading to the inability to wear contact lenses,” they submit.
They add that certain lenses can “potentially scratch the cornea” if they don’t fit properly or if they are worn while sleeping. “They are also more likely to slide off the cornea and become hidden under the lid,” the scientists say.
And, as strange as it sounds, contact lens use is not for everyone! Experts say if you experience frequent eye infections, or if you have severe allergies, dry eye or if you work in an environment that is very dusty or dirty, then steer clear of contact lens.
Just like any medical device, contact lenses must be worn properly if it must deliver the desired effects. In fact, Ajayeoba recounts, contact lens can get stuck to the eyes if they are not fitted by a professional or under the guidance of an eye-care professional.
She warns, “Lenses that are not properly fitted may scratch the eye or cause blood vessels to grow into the cornea.” As such, physicians counsel that you wash your hands with soap prior to handling contact lenses or touching your eye, while you must never share your lenses with someone else — including your spouse!
They also counsel against using fashion lenses (non-prescription colour lenses) unless they are fitted by an optometrist; nor should you buy second-hand contact lenses for that matter!
Doctors advise that you wear lenses on the schedule prescribed by your optometrist; while you must dispose of your lenses at the interval prescribed by your eye-care physician.
How to care for your lenses
-Contact lenses must be properly cleaned and disinfected when you remove them to kill germs and prevent infections
-All contact lens cases should be cleaned daily and it is recommended that you replace your case every three months
-Never reuse your contact lens solution
-Dispose of contact lens solution in the lens case after each use and let the case air dry
-Do not put your lens in your mouth and then in your eye
-Never use homemade cleaning solutions, as they have been linked to serious eye infections
-Any eye drop, even nonprescribed ones, can interact with all types of contact lenses. Use the prescribed brand of solution or check with your optometrist before changing brands
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