A contact lens is a thin lens placed directly on the surface of the eye. Contact lenses are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, or for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons.
People choose to wear contact lenses for many reasons, but aesthetics and cosmetics are the main motivating factors for people who want to avoid wearing Glasses or to change the appearance of their eyes. Others wear contact lenses for functional or optical reasons. When compared with spectacles, contact lenses typically provide better peripheral vision, and do not collect moisture (from rain, snow, condensation etc.) or perspiration. This can make them preferable for sports and other outdoor activities.
However, unfortunately the use of contact lenses will cause more harm than good to the wearers in the view of the negative side effects of contact lenses, which includes:
1. Blockage of Oxygen Supply to the Eyes: Since Contact lenses lie directly on the eye and cover the entire cornea, the amount of oxygen reaching your eyes will decrease. Good oxygen supply is absolutely critical to keep the eyes healthy
2. Irritation when Combined with Medication, especially Birth Control Pill: Concurrent use of contraceptive pills and contact lens together will result in chronic dry eyes and irritation. One will experience changes in the tear film, which primarily consists of three main layers which come together to protect, bathe and nourish the eye surface. The combination of birth control pills and contact lenses will upset this balance in the tear film and cause excessive tearing, burning eyes and a gritty foreign body sensation in the eye. The restricted flow of oxygen to the eye will aggravate the condition.
3. Diminished Corneal Reflex: Using contact lenses may cause diminished corneal reflex in the eye. Corneal reflex is a protective mechanism of the eye where the brain signals the eyelids to drop down to protect our eyes whenever the slightest amount of pressure is applied to the cornea. Corneal reflex makes sure that we close our eyes if something may cause a direct trauma to them, like a flying object coming towards our eyes or if someone tries to poke us. When you use contact lenses constantly, you teach your body to ignore the natural corneal reflex. This may dull the eye’s response to corneal reflex, which could lead to the eye being damaged if you can’t shut your eyes fast enough in case of danger.
4. Ptosis: Ptosis is a condition where the eyelids start drooling and the affected individuals are unable to open their eyes fully. If you use contact lenses, they may move into the eyelid tissues causing scarring and contraction, which further leads to a lid retraction. This especially holds true for hard contact lens wearers as the eyelid is repeatedly stretched during lens removal.
Remember that lens deposits will continue to build up on your contact lenses over a period of time. The longer you go without replacing the lenses, the more will be the lens deposit this will reduce the oxygen supply to the corneas, eventually damaging the eyes.
