Eyes and Health ¦ Most Contact Lens Wearers Put Their Eyes in Danger

Eyes and  health are very much a part of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Many contact lens wearers put there eyes in danger every single day. According to the news story a multitude of Americans wear contact lenses for their eyes, but recent studies prove that nearly everyone is putting their eyes in harm’s way. Some people clean their contacts for their eyes by inserting them in their mouths, while others shamefully say that they’ve stored their lenses in beer. “You’re playing Russian roulette there,” said optometrist Sheri McGurk. Medical professionals are shocked by the conclusions of a study for eyes from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. It reports that of the 30 million contact lens wearers in the U.S., 99 percent are doing something inappropriate in the care of their contact lens for their eyes.

Eyes In Danger

Eyes are precious and loosing vision is preventable in most cases. One of the most common offenses is going to sleep while wearing contact lenses. McGurk says the danger in doing that while asleep you are preventing oxygen from flowing to your eyes, and they can develop infections and bacterial ulcers called pseudomonas rather quickly. “Pseudomonas can destroy the cornea in 24 hours,” McGurk said. A different study by Bausch and Lomb discovered that 20 percent of contact wearers have placed their lenses for storage in everything from tap water to coke to baby oil. “Tap water is terrible. There’s bacteria, there’s chemicals in tap water,” McGurk said. The bacteria can create a corneal infection that’s not responsive to treatment. McGurk says contact lens solution is the only acceptable liquid for storing contact lenses. Wearing disposable two-week contacts longer than recommended is another extremely common mistake.

Eyes and Plastic Surgery

Eyes and their health is discussed with patients who are considering cosmetic and reconstructive procedures of the eyes including upper and lower blepharoplasty. Dr. Seify explains that it is imperative that patientspractice safe guidelines when caring for their eyes especially following plastic or reconstructive surgery. Dr. Seify performs eyelid surgery as a specialty within his practice. Many patients suffer from ptosis which is a droopy eyelid. In some cases this could obstruct vision, and therefore could be covered under insurance. Dr. Seify also recommends a browlift in combination with the blepharoplasty for some patients who may have excessive drooping of the brow. Dr. Seify also specializes in corrective eyelid surgery for patients who have had less than desirable results from previous eyelid surgery performed by another surgeon. Often these patients are devastated by their initial results and are thrilled that reconstructive corrective surgery is available as an option.