What to know about soft lens

I’m very nearsighted and I feel horrible glasses. I would like to use lenses, but I’ve heard they can cause eye infections. Is soft contact lens safe?

This is a very common question. Many people with visual problems would like to wear soft lens, but are afraid they will cause eye diseases such as keratitis (inflammation of the cornea). Let us see what are the dangers that may involve the use of lenses and how to avoid them.

There are two main types of lenses: the RPG (lenses and rigid gas permeable) and disposable soft lenses. In this article we will focus on the latter, since today is the most used.

The quality of your contact lenses, how much oxygen is allowed to pass into your eyes and how high is the percentage of water contained in the lens are factors that must not fail to take into account. It is important to select lenses made from high quality polymers with a high percentage of water (about 50%.) Contact lenses should also be “breathable”: in other words, they should let enough oxygen pasaqr. Consult your perspective what are the best in these cases.

Another point to consider is the thickness of the lens. The more power you need correction, the thicker the lens. A thick lens presents a higher risk of infections. If your eyesight is very bad, you better use the RPG type lenses (rigid) instead of soft.

Thirdly, it is important to correctly adjust the lenses in their eyes. The lens should not tighten the surface of the eye. There must be room for them to circulate the tears from his eyes and contact lenses. Only an ophthalmologist can adjust your contact lenses properly. Never buy contact lenses without a prescription, thinking it fit properly. Most likely not, and cause irreparable damage to their eyes.

Other problems include environmental pollution, smoke, dust or pollen. The lenses tend to adhere to its surface to the smallest particle that can float in the air. This causes great discomfort and, often, inflammation of the cornea. If you feel you have entered any foreign particle between your eyes and lenses, remove immediately and wash the lenses and eyes. If in doubt, contact your eye doctor.

Do not recommend sleeping with lenses on. The contact lens manufacturers know that their customers would love to get contact lenses that could be used for days and days. They are constantly researching to get that type of product. However, from the standpoint of health, prevention is better than cure: do not sleep with lenses on. Of course, if you live in a mountainous area where the air is pure and clear, use the contact lenses continuously for days does not mean no problem. But most of us live in cities with high pollution and traveled a couple of hours a day in rush hour traffic. Imagine if all that dust collected from the delicate surface of your eye and the lens stayed there for a week or a month … not a pleasant thought, right?

Early symptoms of keratitis are blurry vision (while wearing contact lenses) and discomfort when exposed to light. If you notice these signs, do not wear contact lenses and immediately see your doctor.

After reading this article, you may think it is better to forget the lenses, and take your old glasses. Do not believe it. Modern contact lenses are designed to minimize risk, and if they are well adjusted to the eye, are used according to the requirements and are cared for properly, are very safe. Most important is to follow the advice given above you and see your eye doctor immediately if you begin to feel discomfort.