What is [contact lens]?
Contact lenses, also known as corneal contact lenses, are lenses worn on the cornea of the eyeball to correct vision or protect the eyes.
Contact lenses are mainly soft and hard. Hard lenses mainly refer to hard breathable contact lenses. Also known as RGP and orthokeratology lens. Hardness and softness are mainly due to different materials. Soft mirrors are soft, oxygen permeable, comfortable and free of foreign body sensation. However, it is easy to adsorb and precipitate and has a short service life. Comparatively speaking, hard mirrors have better oxygen permeability, But lack of comfort, Not everyone can adapt to hard lenses. The so-called silicon hydrogel lens, Its oxygen permeability is much higher than that of ordinary hydrogel lenses, so it can well avoid corneal hypoxia caused by wearing contact lenses for a long time, can be continuously worn for a long time, and at the same time meet the needs of nap. Soft contact lenses are mostly worn in daily people.
Not everyone is suitable to wear contact lenses.
China’s top ophthalmologists have reached a consensus on the use of soft contact lenses [1]:
1. Suitable for people wearing contact lenses:
Ametropia is also what we usually call myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism.
Except ametropia, there are no patients with other eye diseases and systemic diseases (the following will introduce some diseases that are not suitable for wearing contact lenses);
In order to protect the ocular surface, slow release of some drugs and other special eye diseases correction and treatment.
2. Not suitable for people wearing contact lenses:
Some patients with acute and chronic eye inflammation, such as acute inflammation in any active phase of the eye, chronic keratitis, chronic uveitis, dry eye, etc.;
Systemic conditions include acute and chronic sinusitis, severe diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Poor personal hygiene, heavy smoking, poor compliance, unable to regularly review;
People who are allergic to the ingredients in the solution of nursing products;
Living and working environment is poor, such as smoke, dust, acid and alkaline dust working environment, etc.
How to wear contact lenses?
Wearing contact lenses, like frame glasses, also requires consultation with the help of professionals to understand the purpose and needs of matching lenses.
Then a series of professional examinations including optometry are required to evaluate the types and methods recommended for wearing.
People who wear it for the first time also need training including lens removal and nursing, as well as guidance on other matters needing attention.
Finally, it is emphasized that regular follow-up is needed. For the time arrangement of reexamination and follow-up, it is generally recommended to wear mirrors for l weeks, 1 month, 3 months and every 3 ~ 6 months after wearing mirrors. During the follow-up, it is necessary to know the wearing comfort, the daily nursing and the presence or absence of adverse reactions.
Tear examination may be required every 3-6 months, which is an examination that needs to be carried out in a hospital. Abnormal tear quality and quantity may cause dry eye. Other special examination items can be carried out according to individual conditions.
During follow-up, further training and guidance on lens removal, nursing and use are also required according to individual conditions.
Mistake Cognition of Contact Lens
After selecting the right contact lens, it is more important to wear and care everyday. Cleanliness is the most important thing!
In 2011, some scholars conducted a special investigation and analysis on the wearing behavior and cognition of contact lens wearers [2]. The results showed that more than 60% of the interviewees had different degrees of cognitive errors on contact lenses.
Do not wash your hands before taking off and wearing lenses;
Cleaning nursing lenses does not use special nursing liquid;
Cleaning lenses are not standardized and do not rub.
Do not take the initiative to follow up and review;
Adopt inappropriate treatment methods for discomfort and eye diseases during wearing mirrors;
I didn’t know contact lenses were medical supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions on Contact Lenses
1. Is wearing contact lenses more likely to cause eye hygiene problems?
Yes, during contact lens wearing, metabolites in the eyes will deposit on the lens. If the lens is not systematically cared for, it will cause damage to the eyes for a long time. In addition, not washing hands before wearing the lens will also increase hygiene problems.
2. Can what contact lenses be worn all night?
Long-wear contact lenses can be worn all night. It means that the wearer still wears the lenses during sleep and takes them off for several days. This type of lens requires higher oxygen permeability, but long-term wearing of long-wear lenses is more likely to cause dry eye.
3. Can an eye wear contact lenses if it is myopic?
Yes, binocular anisometropia and large astigmatism are more suitable for wearing contact lenses, reducing the difference between binocular vision, and the visual quality is more comfortable than frame glasses.
4. Can contact lenses correct eye [deformation] caused by wearing a frame?
After wearing myopia glasses, the concave lens film reduces the eyeball image, which looks smaller and is used to forming visual standards. Taking off the glasses to see the real eyeball changes obviously and feels [deformed], so the eye [deformed] is not formed by wearing glasses. You can choose contact lenses to improve this situation.
How to keep your eyes comfortable after wearing them?
The first is to choose the right lens under the guidance of doctors. Secondly, reduce wearing time, at the same time can choose more comfortable eye drops. However, not all eye drops are suitable for wearing contact lenses. Most artificial tears need to be removed after the lens is removed. Only special contact lens eye drops are suitable for wearing glasses.
6. Can I wear it for two days?
Daily throwing, that is, the service life is one day. Like the shelf life of food, contact lenses after the expiration of the deadline will have various problems such as deformation, protein precipitation, etc., which will not only cause uncomfortable wearing, but also cause potential safety hazards.
7. How long is it best to replace contact lenses?
The service life of a pair of contact lenses depends on the service time per day. If conditions permit, it is better to use frequently replaced or discarded contact lenses, and it is recommended to choose lenses with shorter cycle.
What about what if you don’t wear glasses well?
Contact lenses belong to [external objects]. Direct contact with cornea will inevitably affect the environment and metabolism of cornea, thus inducing various problems.
1. Corneal hypoxia and vision loss: When eye discomfort occurs or cannot be worn, you should pay attention to the fact that wearing contact lenses will cause corneal hypoxia. The resulting corneal epithelial defect may cause mild vision loss. Soft lenses are more prone to hypoxia than hard lenses.
At this time, first stop wearing; Then, please don’t be stingy with precious entertainment time and seek medical treatment in time.
2. Jealousy: Jealousy is a very common phenomenon in the process of wearing contact lenses.
If jealousy occurs, it may be due to hypoxia caused by contact lens that some new blood vessels emerge in the cornea. In especially severe cases, the cornea will no longer be transparent.
If the range of neovascularization is small and inflammation is not obvious, please change to the appropriate lens type under the doctor’s advice, such as day-projecting lens. If the above symptoms still do not improve, please refer to a corneal disease specialist in time and do not let it go.
3. Corneal injury: When the cornea is scratched by the lens, the eyes will have discomfort, foreign body sensation, fear of light, tears and other symptoms. If the contact lens is found to have scratches, deformation and other phenomena, it is necessary to stop wearing the contact lens, because it may cause corneal epithelial damage.
However, if the injury is serious and white spots are found on the black eyes when looking in the mirror, ulcers may be formed. Some people may not feel obvious pain due to the loss of corneal perception. At this time, they not only need to stop wearing contact lenses immediately, but also need to see a doctor in time to eliminate the possibility of infection.
4. Infection: Infection is the most serious complication of contact lens, especially wearing soft contact lens when swimming, which is especially prone to Acanthamoeba keratitis.
Once there are obvious eye pain, red eye, photophobia and other symptoms, timely treatment is required, contact lenses are stopped at an early stage, and anti-infection treatment is actively carried out.
5. Allergy, giant papillary conjunctivitis: During the long-term wearing of contact lenses, eye itching may be a manifestation of chronic allergy. Patients will have foreign body sensation, increased eye secretions, itching and burning sensation, accompanied by irritation and red eye.
At this time, please seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and choose to replace the lens or stop wearing the lens according to the severity of allergy.
6. Dry eye: Those who wear thin, high water content long-wearing soft contact lenses, that is, those who still wear lenses during sleep and take off the lenses for several days, or those who wear contact lenses in dry environment, are high-risk groups for dry eye.
Common manifestations include asthenopia, foreign body sensation, dryness, or burning sensation, itching, fear of light, red eye pain, blurred vision, increased secretions or heavy eyelids.
Early symptoms of dry eye may be mild and can slowly develop to intolerance. Patients with severe dry eye should not wear contact lenses. For wearable, rigid oxygen-permeable contact lenses are relatively ideal. Long-worn lenses with high water content and high silicone content should be avoided.
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