Contact lens hygiene cannot be overstated. Incredible as it may sound, 23-year-old student Lian Kao did not remove hers for six months, causing irreversible blindness, reports the Daily Mail. Amoebae, microorganisms that live in moist environments, grew between the surface of the eyes and the lenses and attacked the cornea of his eyes.
The tragic news is all the more surprising since it is recommended not to wear your lenses for more than eight hours a day, to remove them when swimming or showering. The student, she would have even kept them at the swimming pool. People who wear them will be able to testify to the pain felt when they are inadvertently kept even overnight …
Taipei Hospital Ophthalmology Department Director Wu Jian-liang said, “Contact lens wearers are a high-risk group who can easily be exposed to eye diseases. A lack of oxygen can destroy the surface of the epithelial tissue, creating small wounds in which bacteria can easily infect the eye and spread ”.
The French Society of Ophthalmology (SFO), indicates among other things:
– never put or keep a lens on a red and / or painful eye
– never use tap water or bottled mineral water to clean, rinse or store lenses and cases. All fresh waters are to be avoided
– do not use your lenses in swimming pool, lake, river, jacuzzi, sauna, shower
– never sleep with your lenses without the consent of your ophthalmologist, never put back a damaged lens, check that the eye drops used are compatible with wearing contact lenses
In addition, it is also important to respect the indications given by the ophthalmologist:
– wear only the prescribed lens (brand, type, parameters indicated on the prescription)
– respect the frequency of renewal.
– respect the wearing time
– follow the recommended maintenance procedures, do not modify the maintenance solution without medical advice
– after fitting the lenses, empty the cases, dry them and leave them open.