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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ writer
Those cool cosmetic contact lenses - the ones used to show a different eye color - may cause eye damage or even permanent vision loss.
If the lens does not fit the eye correctly, the flow of oxygen to the eye's surface is reduced and the risk of inflammation and infection increases. Complications include bacterial infections, corneal abrasions, corneal ulcers and allergic reactions.
A corneal ulcer is a bacterial, viral or fungal infection of the cornea. Although this is treatable, some people may have permanent vision loss because of scarring of the cornea.
A corneal abrasion is a superficial cut or scrape on the cornea but it is not as serious as an ulcer, which is generally deeper. A corneal abrasion is caused when the eye is injured by a fingernail, a makeup brush, a contact lens, a foreign body or even twigs.
The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped outer area of the eye. It lies in front of the colored part of the eye (iris) and the black hole in the iris (pupil). The outermost layer of the eyeball consists of the cornea and the white part of the eye (sclera).
"For teens, the trend is to wear them just to look cool," Betsy van Die, Prevent Blindness America spokeswoman says of designs such as NFL logos, happy faces and even cat's eyes. Often "teens wear them for weeks at a time, swap them out with friends, don't clean them."
Sometimes these lenses themselves can interfere with vision.
"I saw a kid who was delivering those free flyers that they stuff in people's doors. He walked right into me," van Die says.
No one is really sure just how many injuries cosmetic lenses might be causing. The stories, however, are unsettling.
A 16-year-old girl went into a hospital emergency room after wearing decorative contact lenses bought from a flea market, reported Victor Crosby, M.D., an ophthalmologist in Athens, Georgia. Because her lenses didn't fit, she developed burning, redness and a sensitivity to light in both eyes.
In another case, a teenager who bought contacts to turn her brown eyes to green to match an outfit ended up needing a corneal transplant from complications of a severe bacterial infection. The 14-year-old's doctor, Thomas Steinemann, M.D., director of the Metro-Health Eye Clinic in Cleveland, said she bought the lenses for $20 at a video store.
"People may just take the attitude that it's only cosmetic and they don't have to worry about them," says Felix M. Barker, O.D., research director and professor of optometry at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Elkins Park. "People try to avoid the time and expense of going to a doctor. But you need routine care by an eye care professional."
In response to this problem, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued stringent regulations of cosmetic lenses in April 2003.
"It was assumed all along that cosmetic contact lenses were covered as a medical device by the FDA," says Carmen Castellano, O.D., in private practice in St. Louis. "But then someone took a closer look at this and said it was actually a cosmetic device."
Now, contact lenses are considered medical devices. Before contact lenses are sold in the U.S., the FDA reviews the information from the manufacturer and determines whether the companies can release the lens into the marketplace.
"People may just take the attitude that it's only cosmetic and they don't have to worry about them," Barker says. "People try to avoid the time and expense of going to a doctor. But you need routine care by an eye care professional."
Here are some Do's and Don'ts from the American Optometric Academy, regarding contact use in general.
DO:
- Listen and watch closely as instructions are given and demonstrated.
- Follow lens care and wearing instructions/schedules to the letter.
- Schedule follow-up visits during and after your adaptation period. This is important to maintaining good eye health and safe contact lens wear.
- Wash hands thoroughly before handling your lenses.
- Handle contact lenses over a clean towel. If you drop your lenses, they will stay clean and undamaged.
- Store your lenses in the case made for them, and keep the case clean.
DON'T:
- Don't use cream soaps. They can leave a film on your hands that can transfer to the lenses.
- Don't put contact lenses in your mouth or moisten them with saliva, which is full of bacteria and a potential source of infection.
- Don't use homemade saline solutions. Improper use of homemade saline solutions has been linked with a potentially blinding condition among soft lens wearers.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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