More than 30 million Americans wear contact lenses, according to a study by the Contact Lens Institute. Contact lenses have their own advantages and disadvantages in comparison to glasses, and students have had varied problems and experiences with them.
Sometimes severe situations can occur from wearing contact lenses. Abby Barnhart, junior, had an allergic reaction to her contacts after having them switched to a different brand.
“I first noticed something was wrong when I couldn’t wear my contacts for as long as I normally could,” Barnhart said. “My eyes were dry and itchy, and one of my contacts kept sliding down and getting wedged into my lower lid.”
Barnhart went to her eye doctor who told her she had giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC), which meant she had red bumps under her eyelid that made them itch and swell.
While Barnhart got GPC from her contact lenses, many people suffer from GPC during allergy season and it causes their eyes to itch.
“In my case it couldn’t have been prevented,” Barnhart said. “For others who have the same symptoms I did, go see your eye doctor immediately and they will give some type of medicine for the itchiness.”
Some, like Marissa Hawkins, senior, have had little to no problems with wearing contact lenses.
Hawkins, who has worn contacts since she was 13, said the only problems she had is a little trouble putting them in and they occasionally dry out.
“You can get specific types of contacts like the ones you can sleep in, that way you don’t have to keep taking them out every night,” Hawkins said. “Certain brands apparently don’t dry out.”
Olivia Raney, sophomore, has had moderate problems with her contact lenses.
“If I wear them too long, they hurt and go blurry, and occasionally one will rip,” Raney said.
When a contact lens rips from wearing it too long, it could potentially scratch the eye, so Raney must remove it immediately.
She said she would advise those who wear contacts or are considering them to follow whatever instructions they are given – for example, rinsing them twice a day and not sleeping in them.
“If you fall asleep with them in a night or two throughout the wear, it’s not the end of the world, but they won’t feel as good,” Raney said.
Dr. James Riegel, director of optometric relations at Pepose Vision Institute, said contact lens over-wear causes a decrease in oxygen to the cornea.
Over-wear and extended wear of contact lenses, which includes sleeping in them, can cause long-term changes such as the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the clear cornea, epithelial micro cysts, corneal thinning and various other problems.
In addition to the problems caused by over-wear, there is also a risk of eye infection, Dr. Riegel said.
“Any time we touch a foreign body and put it on our eye we run the risk of eye infections,” Dr. Riegel said. “Our eyes, eyelids and fingers have a certain amount of bacteria on them. Improper wearing or handling of the contacts can lead to eye infections. The best way to avoid this is with proper care.”
Dr. Riegel said people who wear contacts should always wash their hands before handling them, clean them regularly, use the right type of contact solution as recommended by their doctor, clean their contact case often, and regularly visit their eye doctor.
Using the right type of contact solution is important, because not all solutions and drops are designed to disinfect lenses, Dr. Riegel said. Contacts should always be disinfected before worn again, even after storing them. Never use tap water to rinse out contacts, as this can increase the risk of eye infection, he said.
Most problems associated with contact lenses are preventable.
“In general, contact lenses are a very safe way to provide good vision,” Dr. Riegel said.
