Tag Archives: contact lens wear

Benefits of Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

While soft contact lenses dominate the market, there are many benefits of rigid gas permeable contact lenses! for more information: http://www.contactlenses.org Good vision: corrects most astigmatism; excellent optical quality, good surface wettability, available in bifocal designs Excellent eye health: 2-3 times more oxygen to the cornea than soft contacts, smaller size allows for tear exchange,Continue reading “Benefits of Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses”

When eyelashes poke your eye…

Entropion is a condition in which your eyelid turns inwards instead of outwards.   Your eyelashes then rub against the eye, causing irritation and discomfort.   It can be seen in older adults, but I have also seen it in babies, as well as Asians.   Entropion can eventually cause damage to the cornea, resulting in eye infectionsContinue reading “When eyelashes poke your eye…”

When your eyes don’t breathe

When the cornea does not get enough oxygen, there is corneal hypoxia.   This is the most common complication of contact lens wear, especially extended-wear lenses. The cornea has no blood supply of its own, so it gets oxygen only from tears and directly from the atmosphere.  Sleeping in or overwearing your contact lenses reduces theContinue reading “When your eyes don’t breathe”

An Angry, Red Eye

Did you know viruses can cause an angry, red eye?    Viral conjunctivitis is a type of pink eye that is highly contagious, because airborne viruses can be spread through sneezing and coughing.   If you’ve had an upper respiratory infection, such as the measles, the flu, or the common cold, you are more susceptible to viralContinue reading “An Angry, Red Eye”

When Contact Lenses Cause Problems

Did you know that sleeping in your contact lenses, over-wearing your contact lens, and not cleaning/disinfecting your contact lenses properly can cause a corneal infiltrate? Bacterial exotoxins are responsible for whitish/gray anterior stromal infiltrates in the cornea.  They are usually round, well defined, and small, ranging in size from 0.1mm to 2.0mm.  There are oftenContinue reading “When Contact Lenses Cause Problems”

When Contact Lenses Cause Bumps

Do you have itchy eyes and feel like there’s something in your eye?   Do your contact lenses move around on your eye?   Are your contact lenses uncomfortable?   You might have bumps on the inside of your eyelid.   These bumps represent inflammation, which can be caused by protein build-up on the contact lenses.   If you haveContinue reading “When Contact Lenses Cause Bumps”

Contact Lenses Cause a Scar

Did you know that if you over-wear your contact lenses and develop a bacterial infection, a corneal scar can develop?    This can permanently affect your vision.

When Contact Lenses Cause Inflammation

Sometimes contact lenses can cause inflammation of the cornea, with an accompanying bacterial infection.  The white dot shown on the cornea above is an infiltrate, caused by bacterial inflammation.  Symptoms can range from mild discomfort, feeling like there’s something in your eye, tearing, and redness, to severe pain, light sensitivity, and decreased vision.  Corneal infiltratesContinue reading “When Contact Lenses Cause Inflammation”