Common Infections

Common infections and inflammation

 Your eye professionals may advise you over and over again regarding the need to always clean and clear your contact lenses.

Why do they keep emphasizing the importance of lens care repeatedly? Most of the reason for eyes and lens care is to prevent the avoidable infections and inflammation.

Here is some of the infections and inflammation caused by improper care of contact lenses:

1. Acanthamoeba keratitis:
a. Acanthamoeba is a micro-organism that living in the environment and doesn't cause infection usually. However, when it does, the infection can be severe and threatening.
b. Symptoms: Eyes turn red, irritating and painful, feeling something inside your eyes, light sensitive, tearing and blurred vision.
c. Acanthamoeba usually living in water, to prevent from the infection, avoid using of tap water and disinfected solution to clean your lens, swimming or showering with contact lens

2. Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis:
a. An allergic conjunctivitis that repeatedly irritation of conjunctiva by foreign body in the eye, which is the proteins that built up on the contact lens.
b. Regularly clean your lens. Avoid extended wearing of soft contact lenses and follow the instructions of your eye professionals.

3. Corneal ulcer:
a. Tissue located in front of your eyeball called cornea, it is appeared clear layer and function as an entrance of the light.
b. Corneal ulcer occur when the cornea was physically injured and exposing the wound in a bacterial contaminated environment.
c. The edge of contact lens will scratch the surface of the eye, while the foreign matter will stick on the contact lens and continuously scrape the cornea. Yet, the long time wearing contact lens will damage cornea health due to lack of oxygen.
d. The symptoms include eye redness, painful, feeling foreign things inside the eyes, tearing, blurring vision, sensitive to light, and pus or thick discharge graining from the eye.

​Most of the infections and inflammations should be treated immediately to avoid vision damage. In facts, most of the infections and inflammations are preventable by consult and follow the instructions by your eye professionals, and regularly clean and clear your contact lenses.

​Nothing in this article is to be construed as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the recommendations of a medical professional. For specific questions, please see your eye care practitioner.

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