If you wear contact lenses and have suffered from an eye infection, it turns out you’re probably not taking care of your lenses correctly. Bad habits such as sleeping with lenses, neglecting to clean and replace contact lens solution frequently, and getting them wet either swimming or in the shower can increase the risk of kerantis, an infection of the cornea, the clear part that covers the iris. It is caused by bacteria, fungi, and other germs.
Kerantis can cause pain, inflammation, and in rare cases, blindness, according to researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who authored a recently released report. There are over a million reported cases of keranits reported annually in the US, which adds up to $175 million a year in medical costs for diagnostic exams and treatment.
Fortunately, if diagnosed quickly, kerantis is can be easily cured without permanent damage. Although treatment is typically pricey, with the average optometrist visit running around $151 and the average emergency visit can be as a high as $587. Most cases can be cured with eye drops or cream. It’s far better financially to spend a little more money keeping your contacts clean than trying to save a little and getting an infection. There are ways to save money on eye wear.
Dr. Jennifer Cope, a CDC medical epidemiologist, noted that while contact lenses offer a wide variety of benefits to users, they’re not risk-free. It’s especially important to take action to prevent keratitis since it can be a scary infection. The good news it that it’s preventable for users by following healthy habits for both eyes and contacts. If a person does suffer keratitis symptoms which fail to improve on their own, or after using antibiotic drops for the infection, they should immediately contact their ophthalmologist.
The CDC has a list of recommended steps to prevent kerantis:
1. It’s important to wash your hands with both soap and water, then dry them thoroughly before handling your contact lenses.
2. Don’t use tap water to rinse contact lenses, or expose them to it in any other way. Tap water can contain germs and chemical contaminants which can infect the eye.
3. Be sure to remove your contacts before going to bed or sleeping for long periods of time unless you are advised by a health-care professional that it’s OK to do so.
4. Be sure to remove your contacts before you shower or go swimming.
5. It’s important to clean your contacts each time you remove them from your eyes. Be sure to rub and rinse them in disinfecting solution when you do.
6. Don’t forget to also clean and rinse the contact lens storage case with contact lens solution as well. After cleaning the case, be sure to dry it with a clean tissue. Then store it upside down with the caps off after each use.
7. When you are ready to store your contact lenses, but sure to refill the storage case with new solution each time.
8. It’s important to replace your contact lens case at least once every three months, even when keeping it clean and following the above cleaning directions. Check this source if you want to know more about contact lenses.
(Photo courtesy of Roosh Inf3ktion)
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