Care and life expectancy of contact lenses

Care and life expectancy of contact lenses

By the nature of their physical makeup, contact lenses are delicate items. They can and will tear if not properly handled. However, with moderate care, contact lenses can last for a considerable time.

  • The durability of these lenses is somewhat related to their individual water content. Traditionally, the high water contact lenses are more subject to shredding during removal or cleaning. Now, new developments with the high water content lenses have increased durability and the water content/lens thickness ratio is not as proportional as it was in the past.
  • Extended wear lenses can be worn in the eyes anywhere from one week to thirty days. After this time, the lenses have to be removed for a simple cleaning operation. It has been found that in the firefighter’s case, regular cleaning, especially after every fire, should be done.
  • As time wears on, so does the life expectancy of the contact lens. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has done studies on the average life period of an extended wear lens verses that of the daily wear lens and has generally found that the extended wear soft lens has to be replaced more often than the daily wear soft lens due to the composition of the material and the way the lens is worn.
  • There are basically three reasons why contact lenses have to be replaced: tearing, discoloration, and protein buildup.

The tearing of any contact lens is usually the result of harsh treatment, whether rubbing the eyes excessively or general handling misuse.

Discoloration of the lens usually takes place with time, but certain chemicals and smoke can discolor lenses prematurely.

All contact lenses are subject to protein buildup, which comes from the tear production in which water and glandular secretions are produced. The protein buildup is usually faster in the extended wear lenses due to the wearer sleeping with them on. This residue adheres to the lenses’ surfaces, causing them to no longer wet properly and uniformly. This can result in some discomfort and blurred vision due to loss of clarity. Also, as the lenses age, this protein continues to gather on their surfaces.

Even though there are several good enzymatic cleaners on the market today that do well in removing this remnant from the lenses, eventually the deposit left on the lenses by constant use becomes too deeply ingrained to be removed by any cleaner and the lenses become so cloudy that replacement is necessary.

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