Six major hazards of long-term wearing of contact lenses

Wearing contact lenses seems to be more beautiful and convenient for myopic patients than wearing framed glasses, but what they don’t know is that if the contact lenses are made of unqualified materials or are worn incorrectly, they will pose health risks to the eyes. Now, let the editor of the Popular Health Network introduce to you the six major hazards that may be caused by long-term wearing of contact lenses:

Reduced eye resistance

Contact lenses prevent the cornea from coming into contact with air, and the eyes will suffer from a lack of oxygen, which is similar to the human body's "altitude sickness", making it impossible to metabolize normally and reducing resistance.

Expert advice: Avoid sleeping with it on. The cornea of ​​the eye is a very special organ. It has no blood vessels and breathes with the help of air and surrounding tissues. If you sleep with glasses on, it will affect its breathing, and in serious cases it may cause corneal infection!

Causes visual fatigue and dry eyes

Wearing contact lenses for a long time can easily cause visual fatigue and even dry eyes. It causes eye soreness and itching, foreign body sensation, excessive eye mucus, dryness, burning eyes and blurred vision.

Expert advice: The main indicator when choosing contact lenses is water content. If the water content is too high, the lens will absorb moisture from the eye, causing discomfort and drying out. If the water content is too low, the lens will have poor oxygen permeability and your eyes will easily feel dry. This is because oxygen is conducted through the water in the lens. Therefore, the ideal moisture content is between 50% and 60%.

Causes ophthalmic nerve palsy

If contact lenses are kept attached to the eyeball for a long time, they will paralyze the nerve endings and cause decreased corneal sensation. Many patients are unaware that they have ulcerative keratitis.

Experts recommend: Go to a regular hospital or optician for a detailed examination, choose contact lenses that are suitable for you, and pay attention to eye hygiene to avoid causing other eye symptoms. If you experience redness, dryness, pain, fear of light, decreased vision, etc. in your eyes while wearing contact lenses, you should go to the hospital for examination in time.

Accelerated corneal aging

If you start wearing soft contact lenses at the age of 20, after 5 years, the number of corneal endothelial cells will be greatly reduced. After the invasion of water, it will easily cause corneal edema. After 10 years, the density of corneal endothelial cells will be equivalent to that of a 60-year-old person. You will not be able to withstand any eye surgery, even if cataracts occur when you are old.

Experts recommend: Wear frame glasses or undergo laser vision correction surgery if possible for early myopia.

Causes eye allergies

Contact lenses absorb proteins, lipids, collagen, etc. in tears, causing them to deposit on the surface of the lens, breeding bacteria, and causing corneal edema, corneal neovascularization and allergic reactions.

Experts suggest: When using contact lenses, components in human tears, secretions, impurities or foreign matter in the external environment will inevitably adhere to the lenses to form deposits. Even if you follow a strict care and cleaning process, there will still be invisible deposits remaining on the lens that cannot be removed. It is recommended to use monthly disposable contact lenses or replacement contact lenses with a shorter cycle than monthly disposable lenses.

Corneal abrasion, unable to receive correction

Contact lenses can abrade the cornea, potentially causing serious consequences such as corneal epithelial detachment or perforation. The concavity of some contact lenses does not match the convexity of the cornea, which causes irregular wear of the cornea and causes corneal ulcers, resulting in irreversible vision loss. Even after treatment, white spots will be left on the cornea.

Expert advice: Small scratches on the lens vary in depth and severity. In severe cases, they will cause irritation to the eyes and damage the corneal surface. It is necessary to ask an ophthalmologist to determine whether the lens should be replaced. Some small shallow scratches on the surface of hard contact lenses can be repaired by grinding, but soft contact lenses cannot be repaired.

Warm tips: Don’t wear contact lenses in these situations

SPA, hot springs

When the weather turns cold, many people will think of going to a hot spring or a SPA to say goodbye to the cold... However, it is recommended not to wear contact lenses when doing these SPAs, hot springs or steam baths. Because contact lenses contain water, they are easily dehydrated at high temperatures, causing the lenses to stick to the eyes and be difficult to remove, which can also have some adverse effects.

When swimming, after putting on makeup

You cannot wear contact lenses. It is best for women who are menstruating or pregnant to not wear contact lenses. If you must wear contact lenses, in addition to cleaning them every day and removing them before sleeping, try to reduce the time you wear them. Avoid wearing contact lenses when using the computer

Contact lenses are made of polymer materials, which have poor oxygen permeability and will hinder the eyes from breathing oxygen directly, causing corneal hypoxia. If you look at the computer for a long time, your tear secretion will decrease, and wearing contact lenses will make the situation worse. If good hygiene habits are not developed at this time, it is more likely to cause keratitis and corneal ulcers. In severe cases, it may cause blepharospasm, which will eventually affect vision.

Editor’s message: Protect your health, starting from your daily life. In normal times, in addition to eating more foods that are good for the eyes (such as carrots, pumpkin, eggs, fish, etc.), we must use computers and mobile phones in moderation, which are the most harmful to the eyes, and avoid being greedy for temporary happiness without restraint.