Contact lenses

klstorytime
Aug 31, 2015
2 min read

Contact Lens Awareness

August 24-28 2015

The theme for this year was

Healthy Habits means Healthy Eyes

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) announced that the 2nd annual Contact Awareness Week was August 24-28 2015. This year's awareness was in August to coincide with "Back to School" programs.

Last year, 2014, the awareness week was November 17-21.

Fun Facts

Contact lenses are medical devices which are regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

More than 30 million people wear contact lenses.

The first contact lens was made of glass in 1887

The first plastic lens was made in 1939

Soft lenses were introduced in 1971

Tips from the CDC for healthy wear and care

1. Never share your lenses-these are made specifically for you

2. Use contact lens disinfecting solution to clear them every time you remove the lenses from your eyes. NEVER use salvia or water.

3. If you occasionally wear lenses replace the solution at least every 7 days while storing them in the contact lens case.

4. Do not store you lenses in water.

5. Replace your lenses according to your doctor's recommendation.

6. Replace your contact lens case at least every 3 months.

7. Never mix old and new solutions. Always discard old, used solution.

8. Wash and dry your hands before touching your contact.

Why should you NOT use water on contact lenses?

Some water contains germs (specifically an ameba named Acanthamoeba) that can cause a serious and painful eye infection. Water quality varies so it is best to steer clear of water when wearing contacts.

Also, water can soften contact lenses which causes the lens to change shape, swell and/or stick to the eye. The contact lenses then can scratch the cornea (the clear partthe covers the color part of the eye. )