Why is it important to take care of your contact lenses?

Proper care, storage, cleaning, use of suitable solutions for lenses is the key to their effective, healthy, safe wearing. If you do not follow the rules of care, the consequences for eye health can be not only unpleasant, but also dangerous.

Complications may arise due to non-compliance with the wearing regime or replacement periods, improper lens cleaning, corneal hypoxia (when the eyes do not “breathe”), and allergies. If any symptoms appear, you should immediately stop using them and consult an ophthalmologist.

What are the complications of improper care

1. "Red Eye Syndrome" is a common symptom that is not related to any specific disease. It can be a manifestation of allergies, insufficient oxygen supply to the cornea of ​​the eye or its mechanical damage, and possibly serious inflammation. It is expressed in unpleasant sensations: eye irritation, redness, discomfort, feeling of sand or a foreign body, pathological discharge may also be present.
2. Incorrect cleaning solutions can often lead to allergic reactions. For example, allergic conjunctivitis can occur with any ingredient in a contact lens solution. It is expressed in the "red eye syndrome" and the sensation of itching. In this case, you should immediately stop using the solution and change it to another one. If complications persist, topical corticosteroids usually help.
3. There are more complex allergic and immune reactions. The most common complication that occurs in careless lens wearers is giant papillary conjunctivitis. In this case, the cause of the disease is poorly purified protein and lipid deposits on their surface. It is important to thoroughly clean the lenses from deposits, because because of them the surface ceases to be even and smooth, deposits cause mechanical damage to the mucous membrane, irritate it, and also become an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Thus, poorly cleaned lenses cause infections and severe inflammation. To get rid of such manifestations, it is necessary to completely cancel the contact correction and long-term treatment under the supervision of a doctor.
4. Another extremely unpleasant disease associated with poorly cleaned lenses or improper use of lens cleaning systems is allergic or infectious keratitis. Its acute symptoms include severe pain, photophobia, irritation and redness of the eyes, lacrimation, and purulent discharge from the eyes. Infectious keratitis occurs due to bacteria actively multiplying on the surface of uncleaned contact lenses, and allergic keratitis can be the result of an allergy to the protein of one's own tear, if protein deposits from the surface are not removed in a timely manner. If you experience symptoms of keratitis, you should immediately consult an ophthalmologist.
5. Solutions that include peroxide cleaning systems are excellent for cleaning contact lenses. However, you must carefully study the instructions for their use and strictly follow them, because otherwise you can get a chemical burn. It can manifest itself in severe redness, burning, pain, photophobia, profuse lacrimation.