ANDaesthetics, practicality but not only: there are various reasons that lead to choose to wear contact lenses as an alternative to eyeglasses.
From the rigid ones to the soft ones, on the market, by now, there are all types. But how to choose the ones that best suit your needs? And which respect rules for safe use of contact lenses, especially in summer between swimming in the sea and diving in the pool? To clarify, we asked a few questions Dr. Pietro Rosetta, Head of Ophthalmology at Humanitas San Pio X.
Contact lenses: excellent choice as long as you use them correctly
«Contact lenses are a excellent aid not only for their practicality – explains Dr. Rosetta – but also why allow for an excellent quality of vision. They go though worn correctlyrespecting the appropriate hygiene rules because they can anyway be a potential vehicle for infection. And, although there are few cases of important infection, those few can also have a serious course ».
How to choose contact lenses
On the market, we said, there are different types of lenses. What criteria to adopt to choose those best suited to your vision impairment?
«The use of contact lenses is indicated for the correction of refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism – explains Dr. Rosetta. – Furthermore, as they are affixed to the cornea, allow you to see in focus in all gaze positions. However, it is good to keep in mind that eyes may have different corneal curvature characteristics and measurements from individual to individual and there are people who may require custom contact lenses. That is, built in such a way as to adhere perfectly to the corneal surface thus making them easier to wear».
When to avoid them
So if contact lenses can be indicated for various visual disturbances, however, they exist conditions for which their use is not recommended.
“In case of eye dryness, for example – explains the expert. – It must always be borne in mind that in the event of a dry eye or poor lubrication, the friction that the contact lens exerts on the ocular surface can cause micro-lesions of the epitheliumor of the corneal surface, which they open the door to potential infections. For this it may be useful to resort to the so-called tear substitutes. Today there are products that can also be applied while wearing the lenses».
Contact lenses: never use them for a long time
Also wearing lenses for too long (more than 6-8 hours a day), it can cause problems.
«Contact lenses today they are mostly gas permeable – explains Dr. Rosetta – or rather designed to let oxygen through. In fact, however, they still represent a barrier. With excessive and prolonged use, you risk depriving the cornea of the external oxygen that allows the cornea to breathe. And this can cause problems with corneal physiology.
On the beach: pay attention to the sand and the sea
And if the rules of hygiene and correct maintenance of contact lenses always apply, in summer it is a must to take a few more precautions.
“First of all it’s good pay attention to the sand – explains the expert. – On the beach, with the wind, they can rise microparticles of debris which, by slipping under the lens, risk creating micro-injuries to the cornea, causing even very important damage. Also when swimming in the sea you need to be careful if you wear lenses. L’high rate of salinity of the sea in fact causes a dehydration that alters the corneal surface but also the characteristics and composition of the contact lens. Let’s therefore say that it is not recommended to use lenses for swimming, but precautions must be increased, perhaps by wearing swimming goggles».
Contact lenses in the pool: yes or no?
In pool are the risks different?
“The contact with chlorine has an irritating action on the conjunctiva and on the ocular surface – explains Dr. Rosetta again. – Irritation caused by chlorine, causes the eye to no longer present the ideal conditions for wearing contact lenses. Again, theThe use of goggles can be helpfulwith a single recommendation: those who have undergone eye surgery must pay attention to goggles because, when you remove them, you can create a suction effect. A negative pressure that can create quite a few problems, especially for those who still have post-surgical healing».
At the sea and in the pool, the daily ones are better
For swimming in the sea as for those in the pool, the advice is then to focus on disposable daily lenses and to replace them after bathing.
“First of all because there is a risk of losing them and it is therefore better to wear a disposable product – explains the expert. – But also why swimming in the sea and especially in the pool risks contaminating the lenses or in any case to alter its composition and structure, compromising its usefulness and safety».
Beware of unique solutions
For those who use reusable lenses, the imperative is to always pay close attention to their disinfection. Even choosing the right products.
“The unique solutionsi.e. those that contain simultaneously substances capable of cleaning, rinsing and disinfecting lenses must be changed every time they are placed in the lens container, which must be abundantly disinfected each time. THE eye drops that are instilled must not contain allergens, in particular it is good to pay attention to the presence of benzalkonium chloride among the excipients – explains Dr. Rosetta. – In general it is good to remember that it is to absolutely avoid the use of lenses without having them properly disinfectant».
Contact lenses and the risk of infection
«Having clean hands when wearing lenses is also essential – recalls the specialist. – There are some infections induced by protozoa such as Acanthamoeba which pose a high risk to the cornea because can give rise to very aggressive infections. It is a protozoan that lurks in stagnant waters and sometimes in swimming pools when the water disinfection procedure is not adequate. If you don’t have the opportunity to wear lenses in compliance with hygiene rules, it’s better to avoid them ».
Don’t overlook the redness
In the end, never overlook a suspicious redness.
«If you find yourself with red eyes after wearing the lenses – explains the expert. – it is good not only to avoid putting them back, but also go to an ophthalmologist for a checkup. The more serious outcomes in fact, they occur not only in patients who continued to wear lenses despite the redness of the eyes but also in patients who, while avoiding putting their lenses back on, have not undergone the appropriate tests to investigate the cause of the problem. When the diagnosis of corneal infection is performed late the consequences involving permanent damage are almost inevitable.
The importance of the early visit
«An early visit is essential, even better if you bring the contact lens that has irritated the eye with you – concludes Dr. Rosetta. – In this way the doctor can easily perform a culture test not only on the ocular surface but also on the lens which, if it turns out to be infected, would allow the identification of thepathogen that created the infection. In this way, it will be possible to proceed more effectively with targeted therapy and not broad spectrum.
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