Wearing glasses can be a real pain, and they don’t work for everyone. A lot of people choose contacts over glasses. But contacts are not a perfected method of visual correction either.
They’ve been around for years and come in many varieties, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t harmful! In fact, there are still side effects and complications that come with wearing them. Here are a few of them!
Red Eye
Having red eyes can happen for all sorts of reasons. It presents itself as swelling and irritation that causes your eyes to appear red. Contacts can cause irritation and make your eyes red. This happens most if you leave them in too long, or wear the wrong lenses.
The trouble is, it’s hard to tell when you try out a new contact whether your eye is adjusting or it doesn’t fit right! If you notice that your eyes get irritated when you wear your contacts, it’s worth telling your eye doctor.
Dry Eye
Contacts have a tendency to dry out your eyes, which can cause negative symptoms. These symptoms include itching, irritation, and a feeling of grit in the eye. If your eyes get too dry, the easiest way to reduce irritation is to take a break from contacts.
Chronic dry eye that persists is treatable with artificial tears and eye drops. But it’s not always easy keeping enough contact solution on hand to prevent your eyes from drying out!
Infection
Contacts make it easier for debris and bacteria to get stuck in your eyes. This is a lot more likely to lead to infection if your eyes aren’t clean when handling your contacts. Bacteria can get in your eyes in many ways, but dirty hands are the biggest hazard!
Corneal Vascularization
Corneal vascularization is a condition that is unnoticeable until it impedes your vision. It happens when the blood vessels around your eyes swell and grow into your cornea. By the time you notice it, it may be too late to do anything to treat besides ceasing the use of contacts for good.
Eye Ulcers
Yes, you can get ulcers on the surface of your eye! Eye ulcers are more likely to happen when an infection goes untreated for too long.
Not only are they painful, but they can also make it difficult to see. The only way to treat them is to stop wearing contacts and treat the infection.
Conjunctivitis
You’ve probably heard of conjunctivitis before, which is also known as pink eye. Pink eye causes increased mucus production and swelling. Many patients who have pink eye don’t notice until symptoms have worsened. If you have pink eye, contact use needs to stop immediately.
When you wear contacts you are covering the cornea of your eye, which is essentially stopping the supply of oxygen. Prolonged use of contacts can lead to small cuts made by the lens, dry eye and abrasions. Additionally, you will be at increased risk of infection, such as keratitis, which can lead to corneal scarring.
The fact is that when you put anything directly on your eye, including contact lenses, there is a chance that irritation may occur.
This post originally appeared on New England Eye Centre.