Contact Lenses and Eye Infections

Contact lenses are a convenient and comfortable alternative to eyeglasses for many people. But you can't wear them all the time. And if you don't clean and care for them correctly, you're more likely to get eye infections.

People who wear contact lenses have a higher risk for keratitis, an infection of the cornea, the clear outer covering of your eye. They're also called corneal ulcers. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and a rare but serious eye parasite can cause keratitis.

It's also easier for you to catch pinkeye, or conjunctivitis, when you wear contacts. These infections come from a bacteria or virus in the thin membrane covering the white part of your eye and the inside of your eyelids.

Eye Infection Symptoms

Stop wearing your contact lenses immediately if you have these symptoms:
  1. Redness
  2. Swelling
  3. Extra tears or sticky, gooey stuff from your eye
  4. Blurry vision
  5. Light sensitivity
  6. Itching, burning, or a feeling that something's in your eye
  7. Eye pain
Call your eye doctor as soon as possible. Some problems can be quite serious and need treatment right away to save your sight.

Don't throw your lenses away. Put them in the case, and bring them when you see your eye doctor. They may give him or her a clue about what's wrong since cultures are sometimes taken off contact lenses to determine what is causing the infection.

These symptoms could also be an allergic reaction to the lenses themselves or to another irritation in your eyes, like pollen.

Bacteria

The "normal" bacteria on our skin, mouth, and nose usually don't cause any harm. But the combination of a lot of them on your contact lenses and any small scrape on your eye (sometimes caused by sleeping in them) can be very dangerous.

About a third of people have Staphylococcus aureus in their nose. It's easily spread to your eyes by your hands, and it's stubborn and hard to treat. Wash your hands and keep your contacts sterile to avoid an eye infection from it.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacteria that can cause a fast-moving infection of your cornea and leave a hole in your eye. You could lose your vision permanently. Make sure you clean and disinfect your lenses and lens case correctly, and don't keep either longer than you should.

Mild bacterial infections of the eye surface usually clear up after treatment with antibiotic eyedrops.

Viruses

The herpes simplex virus -- both the kind that causes cold sores and the kind responsible for the STD -- can cause keratitis. You can transfer it if you touch an active herpes sore and then touch your eye. Viruses that cause upper respiratory infections and the chickenpox virus can also infect your cornea.

Pinkeye most often comes from the common cold virus.

A virus can easily spread to your other eye or to someone else.

You'll probably have to wait out a viral infection, but you can ease your symptoms with a cool compress and artificial tears. Your doctor may recommend steroid eyedrops to ease swelling, too.

Parasites

Tiny one-celled animals called acanthamoeba live in water, including tap water, swimming pools, and hot tubs. They can infect your eye more easily if you're wearing contacts while you're in the water. If you wear contacts, avoid opening your eyes in a hot tub where this parasite is typically found.

They're also the reason you shouldn't use water -- even distilled or bottled water -- to clean and store your contacts.

Keratitis caused by these parasites is very hard to treat. You may need a cornea transplant.

Fungal

It doesn't happen often, but you can get fungal infections in your eye. These can lead to blindness. They're usually treated with antifungal eyedrops or pills.

Prevent Eye Infections

Lower your risk of an eye infection by following these guidelines:
  • Don't reuse or "top off" cleaning solution. Use fresh solution every day.
  • Keep your lens case clean. Replace it every couple of months.
  • Wash your hands often, especially before you handle your contacts.
  • Take out your lenses, even extended-wear ones, before you go to sleep.
  • Don't wear your contacts in the shower, bath, or hot tub. Take them out before you go swimming.
  • Read the labels and follow directions on your lenses and contact cleaning solution.
  • Don't sleep in your contact lenses.
If are you searching the best clinic for Lasik eye surgery in Indore, Dr. Birendra Jha is one of the best Eye surgeons in Indore. They provide world class Lasik eye surgery, Squint treatment, Cataract surgery, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Glaucoma, Orbit and Oculoplasty at very low cost in their own clinic Indore India Eye Care. Book an Appointment today call us 9977141260 for  more information. 

Online Book an Appointment today :- https://www.indoreindiaeyecare.com/contact-us.html

Please go through our social media :

like our page to know more about eyes



Please do follow on Instagram






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LASIK EYE SURGERY IN INDORE:

Image
WHAT IS LASIK? Laser In-Situ Keratomileusis(LASIK), is a surgical procedure which is used for correction of vision in people suffering from refractive defects such as Myopia(Near-sightedness), Hypermetropia(Far-sightedness), and Astigmatism(Corneal Defect). LASIK surgery provides reduction in the power or even freedom from spectacles to the patients and is of great aid in gaining self-confidence as well. LASIK is now one of the most common surgical procedures around the world and is widely used for correction of refractive disorders. It is an outpatient surgical procedure that takes around 10-15 minutes for each eye and the patient is able to see again within hours after the surgery. The actual laser exposure is less than a minute for each eye. HOW DOES LASIK WORK? LASIK works on the principle of sculpting and remodelling of cornea using Excimer Laser(an ultraviolet laser) which delivers the laser correction(Photoblation) into the thickness of cornea. ...
Read more

Cataract Symptoms

Image
Having cataracts is often compared to looking through a foggy windshield of a car or through the dirty lens of a camera. Cataracts may cause a variety of complaints and visual changes, including blurred vision, difficulty with glare (often with bright sun or automobile headlights while driving at night), dulled color vision, increased nearsightedness accompanied by frequent changes in eyeglass prescription, and occasionally double vision in one eye. Some people notice a phenomenon called "second sight" in which one's reading vision improves as a result of their increased nearsightedness from swelling of the cataract. A change in glasses may help initially once vision begins to change from cataracts; however, as cataracts continue to progress and opacify, vision becomes cloudy and stronger glasses or contact lenses will no longer improve sight. Cataracts are usually gradual and usually not painful or associated with any eye redness or other symptoms unless they becom...
Read more

What’s Causing My Blurred Vision?

Image
What are the symptoms of blurred vision? Blurred vision can affect your entire line of sight or just parts of your vision. This could include your peripheral vision, or how you see to the right or left of your field of vision. You can also experience blurred vision in only one eye. Other ways to describe blurred vision include clouded or dim vision. What are the causes of blurred vision? There can be many causes of blurred vision. Examples of common causes are: refractive errors, such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or astigmatism abrasions to the cornea age-related macular degeneration cataracts corneal opacification, or scarring infectious retinitis migraine optic neuritis retinopathy, such as diabetic retinopathy stroke trauma or injury to the eyes People with diabetes can also experience blurred vision if their blood sugar levels fluctuate significantly. How is blurred vision diagnosed? Your doctor will diagnose the cause of your blu...
Read more