How do eye care professionals determine the best contact lens brand and fit for someone’s eyes?

Some of it is simply seeing the lenses on the eye through the biomicroscope. Sometimes it is determined by the prescription. Not all lenses come in all prescriptions. Some of it is the needs of the patient and some is determined by the patients health history. So there are many factors involved in a contact lens evaluation. It’s not just call up an 800 number or go to a website and see what the cheapest option is. Contacts should be fit by an optometrist that is familiar with all lens modalities. And should include training and instructions on how to care for the lenses and your eyes , what to do in an emergency and what can cause an emergency. Additionally if you wear contact lenses you should have a good back up pair of glasses to wear when contacts are not an option. A yearly eye exam with an in person eye doctor is mandatory when you wear contacts.

How do contact lenses compare to glasses in terms of confidence and dealing with bullies?

Contacts can be transformative on many levels. And often the thicker the prescription, the more difference it makes. They can be a total personality changer just like having a good set of teeth can bring back a smile that was often hidden. In our clinic, we’ve seen kids literally come out of their shell after getting contacts. A person feels more confident, stands straighter, and many times will actually see better with contacts than glasses due to the distortion lenses in glasses can create in high prescriptions. Now that glasses are more accepted and have become a part of fashion, it’s less of a problem but as others say, it’s nice to have an alternative to glasses for times when you would rather not wear them. Make sure you get an annual eye exam yearly from an in person optometrist and never put a contact lens on a red eye. And never let an online seller change any part of your contact lens prescription.

Why do my contacts sting my eye when I apply them? Why does the stinging continue and not stop?

Contacts really cannot ‘sting’ your eyes. More likely it is the soap you are using prior to insertion. You should use a soap that has no fragrances, no lotions, no oils, no abrasive materials….and you must rinse aggressively to remove all soap. Dry your hands with a lint free towel.

The other possibility is the solution you are using. It must be changed daily and your case must be cleaned after each use and left open to air dry. Finally, you should only use the contact lens solutions your eye doctor has approved. In the past year, there have been many eye drops recalled due to sterility issues, causing antibiotic resistant infections that have blinded and even killed people. Stay away from ALL generic brands of solution and dispose of expired solutions and drops. If you follow these steps and still have issues, you must contact your eye doctor and explain your situation. If you vision is poor, the comfort is poor, or if your eyes are more red than usual, there is something wrong.

Contact lenses are medical devices. Do not obtain contacts from questionable sources as there are counterfeit lenses available worldwide that can cause huge problems including infections and blindness. Contact lens users should see their eye doctor annually and contact them immediately if problems occur.

I am terribly worried that by wearing (rigid) contact lenses daily, I will expose my body with significant levels of PFAS and microplastics, potentially harming future kids that I may have, as well as myself. What should I do?

You should be more terrified of the food you consume and the air you breathe. This is where most microplastics in our bodies are coming from. To ensure that your contacts don’t become microplastics in the environment go the Bausch and Lomb website and look for (or google One by One) for a recycle package that you can return to TerraCycle. They will take the contacts and the containers including the foil lid and recycle. Thanks for being aware. We have become our own worst enemy. If there were a law that said before something can be made, there has to be a safe/sane plan for its eventual disposal/recycle we would have a totally different earth. Recent studies have concluded that some soft contact lenses contain forever chemicals and have been found to also shed microplastics. Additionally, even artificial tears have been found to contain microplastics. It seems that every plastic product is at risk of adding PFAS’s and/or microplastics to the environment. Since these are relatively new discoveries, we don’t know the potential long term side effects of these substances in our bodies but they are already everywhere and do not easily break down. Again, our best solution at the moment is to use less plastics of all kinds.
Remember to see your optometrist yearly for a comprehensive eye exam! And order your glasses and contacts through your doctor so you can support local health care. These businesses support the community, unlike an online retailer. 🙂

Do eyeglasses and/or contact lenses slow the degradation of eyesight since the eyes aren’t working as hard to focus?

Prescription eye wear primarily brings the light rays into focus at the back of the eye. It does not ‘slow the degradation’ but it does reduce the stress of trying to focus on a blurry image. The muscles around the eye will often be used (squinting) if the image is blurry, which can lead to muscle fatigue and frontal headaches. Some persons who are very farsighted (hyperopia) will see double and/or their eyes will turn inward when not wearing prescription eye wear.

New research is geared towards trying to slow the progression of nearsightedness (myopia). The research is finding that specially designed lenses (both glasses and contacts) may slow the progression in young people. In addition, there are also medicated eye drops that may be used to slow myopia and other drops that may allow eyes to see better at near when persons are in the forties and experience blurred near vision called presbyopia.

Ask your optometrist if you have further questions. And remember that tobacco use quadruples your risk of developing macular degeneration, the number one cause of older adult blindness.