UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Man kept contact lenses in for a year

A Chinese man had to have his contact lenses surgically removed after he did not take them out for a year.

Liu, 40, started to wear contact lenses a year ago and never took them out because he found it difficult.

"I only have some eye drops for when they feel uncomfortable," he told Chutian City News.

Liu recently felt his eyesight was getting worse, so he bought another pair of lenses and wore them on top of the old ones.

But when his eyesight still didn't improve, he took another startling decision.

"I put a pair of used disposal contact lenses over the other two pairs in my eyes. By then, I was wearing three pairs of lenses," he said.

By the next day, Liu's eyes had reacted badly to his DIY eyecare and he finally sought medical attention.

A doctor was shocked to find the first lenses had grown into his eyes and surgery was needed to take them out.

Taken from http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2179348.html?menu=news.quirkies

Sheeeesh!

I heard that on the news.

At the last confrence I heard a parent talking about there son who forgot to take his RGP's out one night while on holiday. He ended up in hospital while on holiday and on his return to the Uk, the cornea was found to be so damaged he need a graft!

Maybe this is why they always toile me to limit my wear time.

ouch! that must have been painful. i have to wear eye gel on every nite because my eyes get dry and i do find it quite difficult because my contacts go round my eye!

If you ever look up the material safety data sheet for contact lenses from the manufacturer. They say lenses can be worn for 16 hours per day. On the same leaflet is the contra indications you need to be aware of.

Thing is, these are for lenses of a normal curvature and not a KC eye. With a KC eye the contact points can be a lot smaller and take the full weight of the lens rather than it beng spread acorss the whole cornea. So as a lens moves it can rub. A lack of tears will increase the friction so wear the softer material (the cornea) more. Good lubrication and all moves better which is probably why I can get such good wear times after finding a way to manage the poor quality tears I had. Now there is always a layer of tears of varying thickness between my cornea and the lens.

Optoms telling us to limit the wear time is because they are playing it safe. Our cornea are already damaged and they want to limit/prevent any further damage.

All I'm guessing is this guy didnt get told what my optometrist told me when first being fitted with lenses

- Don't let anyone let you believe that laser treatment will fix your eyesight as it wont - your corneas will burst first!
- Don't sleep with your hard lenses in as you'll be needing a surgeon in the morning if you do

She knows how to give warnings and I've never fallen asleep once with my lenses in!

Eddie Spooner wrote: - Don't let anyone let you believe that laser treatment will fix your eyesight as it wont - your corneas will burst first!
- Don't sleep with your hard lenses in as you'll be needing a surgeon in the morning if you do in!

Eddie

That is some advice! Still, it does seem to have had the desired effect: you take care not to fall asleep with your lenses in AND you have never had cornea bursting laser treatment!

Andrew

There is NO way I could sleep with my lens in at the moment - the discomfort keeps me wide awake!

In my last job I had to fly a lot. with lenses in, I could not sleep. with lenses out I could do nothing else!

in?
out?

Out ... a little sleep always seemed attractive than an airport novel.


Andrew