Outbreak News Today suggests: “Being able to see well is vitally important to most people’s activities of daily living. Contact lenses can provide many benefits, but they are not without risk, especially if contact lens wearers take shortcuts and they are not careful. of your contact lenses and supplies. Healthy habits mean healthy eyes.”
New reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided data showing that nearly one million doctor visits in the United States are related to keratitis due to improper contact lens care.
learning the basics
Keratitis is recognized in the medical community as a very painful eye condition that involves an infection of the cornea of the eye, due to excess bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. The condition is not only painful, but can lead to blindness if not treated right away. This is a very perplexing problem in the United States, where approximately thirty-eight million people wear contact lenses. Web MD says: “Some bad habits, such as sleeping in contact lenses, not cleaning and replacing lens solution frequently, and letting contact lenses get wet while swimming or showering, greatly increase the risk of keratitis”.
A medical epidemiologist at the National Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Infectious Diseases within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named Dr. Jennifer Cope has stated that she believes contact lenses can be an excellent alternative to glasses, but that Without proper hygiene and care, they can be a danger to eye infections.
The estimated cost of the many medical office visits regarding keratitis costs health care officials more than one hundred seventy-five million dollars each year. While the problem can lead to blindness, if keratitis is caught and treated early, patients should be able to lead normal lives with their current vision levels afterward. If keratitis is left untreated, it will lead to inflammation of the eyes leading to severe pain and of course blindness. Medical News Today reports: “Among the estimated 38 million contact lens wearers in the US, poor storage case hygiene, infrequent storage case replacement and overnight lens wear are factors established preventable risk factors for microbial keratitis, contact lens-related inflammation, and other ocular complications.”
This has prompted the Centers for Disease Control to publish a list of good hygiene practices for contact lens wear, including properly washing your hands with soap and water and drying them before attempting to touch your contact lenses, disinfecting your lenses with the right solutions every time you do. they are removed, using the solution recommended by your optometrist, refreshing solution if applicable according to the instructions instead of trying to fill with excess liquid, and keeping water away from your contact lenses.
Improper contact cleaning
Unfortunately, many Americans believe that using soap and water is a good cure for anything dirty, and while this may be true for the dishes and the dog, it doesn’t include your contact lenses. Contact lenses are made of a very sensitive material, but beyond that, they are also placed directly on the eye, and one thing most people don’t remember is that water is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. . Soap is harsh and can break down the materials used in creating your lenses, meaning you won’t be able to see through them properly, and it can also sting your eye if the residue isn’t washed off properly. The Centers for Disease Control have also stated that contact lens wearers should refrain from using saliva to clean their lenses as it has a high rate of bacteria and quickly leads to infections.
Consulting a specialist
The Centers for Disease Control has urged all Americans and citizens around the world who wear contact lenses or who are interested in wearing contact lenses to contact their medical providers for proper advice and instructions on contact lenses. cleaning and care. Just like any other item that enters an area of your body where it is exposed to bodily fluids and is in direct contact with you, there is always a risk of infection and the transfer of harmful bacteria and other microbes. They also suggest that anyone who is experiencing pain, itching, or is concerned about the possibility of a keratitis infection should seek medical help immediately.
The problem of keratitis is large in the United States, especially among the younger generation of contact lens wearers, which means that it is the responsibility of parents and medical professionals to educate this younger group so that mistakes are not made by carelessness With the cost of health care leaving more and more financial teeth in the lives of United States citizens, this is an area of concern that can be avoided if handled properly.