With Contacts, Poor Hygiene Risks Eyes
However, busy lifestyles and confusing directions - yes, you do have to rub "no-rub" solutions into contacts - mean that many Americans do not thoroughly clean or disinfect their lenses. Bacteria and proteins can adhere to lenses, causing infections when contacts are reapplied to eyes.
Serious vision problems, even blindness, can result when contact-wearers sleep or shower with their contacts in, or when they wear their lenses longer than recommended. Recent eye disease outbreaks were worsened in people who wore their lenses without properly caring for their eyes.
Contact lens disinfectant must be strong enough to kill bacteria, but gentle enough to avoid irritating sensitive ocular tissue. Solutions need an overnight period to disinfect lenses properly, but many Americans will re-wear contacts after an hour soak. Some people will reuse old contact lens solution, helping contaminate contact lenses.
Some companies are developing products that make disinfecting and cleaning lenses quicker, easier and more effective, helping to ensure improved contact lens safety. One product, the LensComfort Ultrasonic Cleaning, Disinfecting and Storage Unit (www.lenscomfort.com), ensures disinfection and complete cleaning in 15 minutes.
The system uses ultrasonic waves to boost the cleaning and disinfecting power of LensComfort contact lens solutions. That means that LensComfort solutions and ultrasound remove debris - oils, lipids, protein - more effectively than systems that require overnight soaks and rubbing.
The system also helps simplify the cleaning process. Instead of using saline and disinfectant, then rubbing their contact lenses, wearers put their lenses in the unit, add LensComfort multipurpose solution and plug the unit into a normal electrical outlet. Within 15 minutes, contacts are thoroughly clean and safe for wear.
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