Dangers of Colored Costume Contact Lenses

Those cat eye lenses really might make your costume stand out from the crowd, but don’t let decorative contact lenses play a trick on you this Halloween. Did you know that costume contact lenses require a prescription? Just like your regular contacts, costume lenses are considered to be medical devices and even with perfect vision, a prescription and eye exam is required.  Wearing lenses that aren’t properly fitted for you can scratch the eye and actually cause blood vessels to grow into the cornea. This could also lead to eye infection and potential permanent vision loss. A scary thought, indeed.

Selling non-prescription lenses, like costume lenses found online or in beauty shops, is illegal. Many consumers are unaware that these lenses are not FDA-approved and with advertising claims like “one size fits all” even the most savvy shopper might consider trying out a pair without realizing the importance of a proper prescription.

Ophthalmologist Clayton Falknor, M.D. offered, “If most people understood the potential for permanent vision loss by infectious keratitis that can occur with non-approved or ill-fitted contacts, very few would be willing to take the risk in using them.”

Whether colored contact lenses are a personal style choice or the finishing touch to the perfect Halloween costume, they should be fitted to your eye and purchased at a retailer that requires a prescription or from an eye care professional.

Source & Photo Credit: http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/glasses-contacts-lasik/colored-lenses.cfm

Safety: LASIK VS Contact Lenses

When considering LASIK over contact lenses, many patients’ biggest concern is the safety of LASIK. What many do not realize is that patients have a higher risk of losing correctible vision with contact lenses than by undergoing LASIK eye surgery, a one-time surgical procedure. In fact, that risk is perhaps up to 10 times higher.

Many contact lens wearers do not properly take care of their lenses and this is what can cause infection. For example, wearing contacts during sleep, swimming in them, not cleaning them properly, and not replacing them regularly increases the risk of infection and could damage eyesight permanently. However with LASIK, the laser technology being used today is the safest it has ever been.

LASIK provides phenomenal precision and very predictable results. A person with a typical refractive error has a 93% chance of having their vision fully corrected after the LASIK procedure and without requiring additional treatment, contacts, or glasses. For those who still have some refractive error after surgery, the majority can be re-treated to achieve optimal results. In terms of the risk of losing correctible vision as a result of the surgery, the risk is extremely small – only 1 in 1,000 experience significant complications. 

Ophthalmologist Clayton Falknor, M.D. said, “Of all the things that I do surgically, LASIK is the most accurate and the most consistent with the best results. After healing, your eyesight is normally stable for 10-20 years, depending on your age at the time of surgery.”

If you are interested in LASIK, but concerned about the safety, speak with your ophthalmologist about the procedure. At Eye Clinic of Austin, we offer free LASIK consultations to determine candidacy for the procedure. This appointment also provides patients an opportunity to speak with the eye doctor, ask questions, and discuss any concerns.

Pupil Dilation Provides a More Accurate Prescription

If you have ever noticed that you can see more looking through an open doorway than you can see looking through the door’s peephole, you will understand why we dilate pupils.

When the pupil is small, we cannot see the details of the lens and the view of the retina is compromised. When we cannot see, we cannot adequately follow the progress of conditions such as diabetes, cataracts, macular degeneration, and the risk of retinal tears and detachments in the peripheral retina and we may miss important details that could lead to loss of vision.

We also dilate to understand a potential source of error in eyeglass prescriptions. Individuals with astigmatism or who are far-sighted tend to overfocus. When we dilate the pupil, we can relax that tendency and get a more accurate and comfortable prescription for eyeglasses.

We do not have anything to replace pupil dilation completely, but we have a partial substitute with the OPTOMAP — photography that gives a 210-degree view of the inside of the eye or 80% of the retina. This allows us to see somethings in better detail than a dilated exam, but there is still 20% we cannot see. At least every other year, we still need to dilate to look at the details of the lens that the OPTOMAP cannot see.

It should be noted that OPTOMAP, when used to avoid dilation, is not covered by insurance and you may pay out of pocket for the convenience of no dilation. In summary, though it may be inconvenient and a bit uncomfortable, dilation allows us to take better care of your eyes.

Contact Lens and Eye Safety

Approximately 1 out of 20 people will have contact lens related problems.

Are you one of them?

Through recent research it has been found that contact lenses can affect several different areas of the eye. These effects could be simple irritation to more sight threatening complications. You may have experienced some of these problems or just had a concern about them.

The weather, oxygen and their effect on your eyes.

The weather and the wearing of contacts both have an effect. The eye cleans itself from harmful bacteria and other foreign substances through the process of creating what is known as the tear film. Not only does it protect the eye but it also carries the moisture and oxygen to help and protect the eye. The reduced amount of oxygen on the surface of the eye in turn reduces the blood flow to the cornea, which can create complications. While soft contact lenses have less of an effect on this than hard lenses it still does have an effect. And there are other problems that contacts can cause with your eyes.

Now throw in dry weather, the wind and the fluctuating temperatures you can see what your eyes are dealing with on a daily basis. In many instances, the risk to the health of your eyes is greater from wearing contact lenses than from today’s LASIK eye procedure.

And there are the aspects of “chronic wear and tear” from continual contact lens wear to the eye from simply having this foreign substance or particle in the eye. This can predispose an eye to infections and if you might have even experienced these difficulties yourself.

What are your alternatives?

LASIK is the alternative to contact lens wear. While not having them to affect your eyes in a potentially dangerous way is of great benefit you will also receive the benefit of having very improved eyesight if not 20-20.

Visit www.eyeclinic2020.com for more information.

Contact Lens Update

A Word from Dr. Melanie Prosise

The Eye Clinic of Austin is now happy to offer 1-Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism lenses.  These unique lenses offer the benefits of daily replacement lenses with the superior vision that an accurate prescription for astigmatism provides.  Studies show that patients who replace their contact lenses daily are less likely to experience contact lens related infections and less likely to have contact lens related dry eye.  Additionally, single use lenses are very convenient and excellent for travel.  If you are a contact lens patient currently wearing a soft lens that requires nightly cleaning  or have always wanted to try contact lenses but were concerned about the hassle of cleaning, come discover single use lenses for yourself.  Please ask at your next contact lens appointment for a daily replacement lens trial so that you can discover if this option fits your lifestyle.