Improved technology has made it possible to create contact lenses that are thinner, contain more water content and hence more comfortable to wear. Sometimes they are so thin that the wearer does not even feel them. But the downside to this is that the lenses may slip further into your eyes and you may not even realise it!
In July this year, a woman made news for the discovery of 27 contact lenses lodged in her eyes. She wasn't even aware until she was due to go for a cataract surgery and her surgeons found the unexpected. Certainly, it seems incredulous that anything can go into the eye undetected, let alone to have so many lenses stuck in the eyes over a span of wearing disposable contact lenses for 35 years. But ask any regular daily disposable users and they will likely have some anecdotes about losing a contact lens in their eye or near-misses to share.
Personally, I can relate. I was having a hard time removing my daily disposable lens in one of my eyes due to the lack of moisture. As I had a finger tip to the lens trying to move it around, my eye suddenly felt free, but I couldn't see the lens anywhere. I assumed that it had dropped somewhere. Shortly after, I started having this feeling of "something in my eyes". I attributed it to irritation from long wear of the lenses. It also felt as though an eyelash or dust particle had fallen into my eye. Eye drops did little to relieve the grittiness. A couple of days later, I was pulling down my bottom eyelid, trying to locate that mysterious eyelash that might have lodged itself in my eye, when I spotted a dark coloured film (I was wearing coloured lenses) at the bottom edge of my eye. I gently prodded at my bottom eyelid, and it eventually came out. I was very lucky that it didn't have to take an infection to set in before I'd have to seek professional help. I can imagine how much easier it is for a clear contact lens to go detected. I made up my mind to be more careful and to never to let that happen again.
Here are some ways you can protect your eyes from similar accidents:
When removing your lenses, make sure there is sufficient moisture. If your eyes are too dry, the lens will not come off easily and trying to force it out could aggravate the situation. Always have a bottle of eye drops meant for use when wearing contact lenses, so that you can lubricate your eyes anytime when wearing lenses.
Don't rub your eyes when you're wearing lenses. You could dislodge the lens, or worst, tear it, resulting in multiple fragments in your eyes that may be impossible to remove without surgery.
Don't sleep when wearing lenses. You'd be depriving your eyes of oxygen and that's a sure recipe for a red eye and consequently, an infection. The lenses may also move out of place when you sleep.
If a lens appears to be missing when you're trying to remove it, and you can't find it anywhere on the floor, don't take for granted that it's simply left your eye, like I did. Go to the optometrist. Your vision and eye health, and peace of mind are far more important than the possible time and costs incurred.
If you're a frequent wearer of contact lenses, do attend regular optometrist appointments to ensure that your eyes are healthy.
Our eyes are fragile organs and vision is a priceless asset. We should never take them for granted.
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