Poor contact lens care habits

Synovate, Inc., a global market research company, recently asked 508 contact lens wearers a number of questions about how they care for their contact lenses, and the results were startling. All respondents were over age 18 and wore their lenses on a daily wear basis (removing them prior to sleep every day).

The survey of contact lens wearers revealed:

* 40% don’t wash their hands prior to handling their lenses.
* 20% don’t use fresh solution when cleaning their lenses.
* 40% have put their lenses in their mouth to clean them.
* 70% wear their contact lenses when swimming.

All of these behaviors cause more bacteria and other harmful microorganisms to be transferred to the eyes, increasing the risk for serious eye infections. Couple these statistics with the fact that an estimated 38 million Americans wear contact lenses, and you have a huge number of people who are putting themselves at risk for sight-threatening eye infections.

In fact, according to the Casey Eye Institute study, over a 30-year period, the risk of a contact lens wearer experiencing significant vision loss due to a contact lens-related eye infection is 5 times greater than the risk a LASIK patient has of experiencing a similar vision loss due to a surgical complication.

Proper contact lens care reduces risks

Experts agree that most contact lens-related eye infections could be prevented if wearers would care for their lenses properly and replace them on a timely basis. The American Optometric Association (AOA) has established a set of eight recommendations for safe and healthy contact lens wear:

1. Always wash your hands before handling your contact lenses.
2. Carefully clean and disinfect your contact lenses upon removing them, following the directions provided by your eye doctor.
3. When not wearing them, store your lenses in a clean contact lens case. Rinse the case with your contact lens solution after each use, and leave it open to air dry. Replace the case at least every 3 months.
4. Use only the contact lens care products recommended by your eye doctor.
5. Use fresh solution each time you clean and store your lenses. Never reuse old solution left in the case.
6. Replace your contact lenses as recommended by your eye doctor. Don’t stretch your wearing period, even if your lenses still feel good.
7. Don’t wear your contact lenses when swimming or in a hot tub.
(Water in swimming pools and hot tubs often contains chlorine-resistant microorganisms that can adhere to your contact lenses and cause a serious eye infection.)
8. See your eye doctor as directed for contact lens follow-up visits and routine eye exams.

Choose the healthy option

If you decide to continue to wear contact lenses (or you are not a good candidate for LASIK), be sure to follow the AOA’s guidelines to keep your eyes healthy, comfortable and seeing great for years to come.

But if you simply can’t bring yourself to follow these guidelines, consider having a LASIK eye exam and consultation to see if you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction. Though all surgery involves some risk, LASIK may be safer than contact lenses for you in the long run.

Source: http://lasiksurgerynews.com

A new study just released shows temperature and humidity can affect LASIK surgery outcomes. Often, the patient has to come back in to get a touch-up, to fine-tune the vision correction.

“They get dirty all the time they get cloudy. That’s the most annoying thing about glasses…and forgetting them.” It’s the minor inconveniences that cause a lot of folks like John Agrillo to decide once and for all to go get LASIK surgery, where a laser is used to correct one’s vision by permanently changing the shape of the cornea.

For John, it’s even more important because his trifocals make it difficult for him to drive.

“We have to put these in the right spot to see the traffic,” he reports.

John is getting his LASIK surgery done in a room with very good climate control. Manhattan LASIK surgeon Dr. Joseph Dello Russo says, “We’ve learned that if you keep it at 40-50% relative humidity, and 68 to 73 degrees temperature, the atmosphere doesn’t affect the result.” But new research shows if the climate is off, the LASIK surgery might not have the best result. It’s the first study to show that environmental factors like humidity and temperature can affect LASIK surgery results and result in a patient needing to come back for a touch-up procedure.

The researchers reported that 15 and a half percent of their patients required a second procedure to fine tune their vision. The most significant factor was indoor humidity, but outdoor temperature and humidity two weeks before the surgery also played a role. More touch up surgeries were required during the humid summer months. The researchers also found that a 10 percent increase in treatment room humidity meant an additional nine out of every 100 patients required an enhancement procedure.

“The higher the humidity, the less the effect for the same amount of laser treatment. The drier the cornea, the laser will have more effect,” advises Dr Joseph Dello Russo.

Additional moisture in the air may decrease the laser energy absorbed by the cornea. Also, some patients’ corneas may become more hydrated before the procedure, making it more difficult for the laser to remove tissue.

While temperature and humidity are important factors according to this study in terms of who has to get at touch up procedure done, the ability of each individual to heal is the most important factor according to the surgeon with whom we spoke.

Dr Joseph Dello Russo reports only a 3-5 percent touch up rate, which is lower than the study’s findings. That’s good news for john, who sunglasses aside, is now going to be specs-free.

Dr Joseph Dello Russo
Dello Russo Laser Vision
http://www.dellorussolaservision.com