Less vision due to scratched contact lenses

Unilateral visual impairment can be due to scratched contact lens

05/12/2014

If the eyesight of contact lens wearers is suddenly unilaterally damaged, dirt and scratches on the contact lens can be behind it. Sometimes "a coating forms on the lens if it has not been cleaned well enough," quotes the news agency „dpa“ the contact lens specialist Gerald Böhme from Backnang (Baden-Württemberg).

However, scratches in the material are more frequently observed in dimensionally stable, so-called hard lenses. For this reason, guess „Manufacturers to change dimensionally stable lenses after about 18 months“, Böhme continues. If the loss of vision remains even after cleaning or replacement of the lenses, a timely visit to the ophthalmologist is recommended.

In addition to impurities and scratches, according to the expert fluctuations in vision may be due to other causes such as changes in tears. For example, tears may contain more protein in hay fever patients at the beginning of the pollen season, and tears tend to be more fatty in patients with acne, both of which are associated with fluctuating eyesight, Böhme explained. In the end, the impairment of vision can of course also go back to changes in the eye, since „the eye with its cornea and eyeball for a lifetime“ changes. In many cases this results in an increasing curvature of the cornea and increased ametropia.

Hygiene in contact lenses particularly important
The experts of the department „contact lenses“ at the professional association of ophthalmologists in Germany explain that the cleaning of the contact lenses not only helps to prevent soiling and corresponding vision impairments, but also plays a special role in terms of hygiene. Exact hygiene is extremely important for contact lens wearers in general. Therefore, before each insertion or removal of the lenses, the hands should be thoroughly washed, the contact lens care product should be renewed daily and the lenses should always be cleaned manually, also to remove cosmetic residues, reports the professional association of ophthalmologists. (Fp)