1. CONTACT CONSEQUENCES Emily Lenna 2015
Contacts I

2. GLASSES VS CONTACTS
 Glasses: do not touch eye  less likely to cause infection or
irritation, wont cause you to want to touch your eye
Contacts: sit right on your eye, so it reduces the amount of oxygen
reaching your eye  suffocates cornea, increases dry eye
Glasses: cheaper in long term  wont have to replace near as often
Contacts: while convenient to wear, you have to clean them properly
EVERY TIME or else it could cause severe infections
Glasses: stylish without risks
Contacts: can change your eye color, but carry more risks than
regular prescription contacts
***allaboutvision.com***

3. NEOVASCULARIZATION
 Growth of blood vessels into cornea due to lack of oxygen reaching
cornea.
Contacts cannot allow as much oxygen through as the cornea needs,
so blood vessels grow into it to provide nutrients.
Can cause blindness
This is why it is important that you do not wear contacts 24/7. give
your eyes a break so that your cornea wont suffocate

4. GIANT PAPILLARY CONJUNCTIVITIS
GPC
Affects underside of top eyelid (palpebral conjunctiva)
Symptoms: itchy eyes, increased mucus production, gritty feel after
removal of contacts, may feel like contacts move around more or
don’t fit as well as they used to.
Causes: allergies, protein build-up on contact lens, constant
blinking while wearing contacts (body thinks contact is a foreign
substance and reacts to it).

5. CORNEAL ABRASIONS
 dirty or poor fitting contacts, or improper removal of contact lens
A scratch on the cornea, with loss of epithelial cells
Exposes cornea to foreign objects, including bacteria
Can lead to other infections
 ***webmd.com***

6. CORNEAL KERATITIS
Inflammation of the cornea
Symptoms: redness, pain, excess tear or discharge, difficulty
opening eyelid because of pain or irritation, blurred or decreased
vision, sensitivity to light, foreign body sensation.
Causes: injury, contaminated contact lens, viruses (herpes simples
and zoster, and the virus that causes chlamydia),and contaminated
water
***mayoclinic.org***

7. ACANTHAMOEBA
Caused by a single-celled organism found in water, soil and air
Cause: contaminated contact lens
Symptoms: eye pain, redness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light,
excessive tearing, foreign body sensation
***cdc.gov***

8. PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA
Bacteria found in the environment
Symptoms: redness, swelling of conjunctiva and/or lid, excessive
mucus discharge, light sensitivity, pain, decreased vision, clouding of
cornea
Causes: contaminated contact lens
***dro.hs.Columbia.edu***

9. DENDRITIC ULCER
A grey to white open sore on the cornea
Causes: bacteria, herpes simplex, varicella, and fungal infections
Symptoms: redness, pain, foreign object sensation, pus or thick
discharge draining from eye, light sensitivity
 *** medicinenet.com***

10. DO’S AND DON’TS
 DO NOT expose your contact lenses to any type of water
DO NOT substitute saline for multipurpose solution (saline doesn’t
disinfect)
DO NOT “top off” your solution. Never reuse solution
ALWAYS empty solution out of your case and air dry
ALWAYS clean and care for your contacts as directed by your eye
care professional
ALWAYS remove contact lenses and contact your eye care
professional if you experience any symptoms of irritation or an
infection
***fda.gov***
 DO NOT sleep in your contacts!!! This suffocates your cornea even
more!!!!

11. HOW TO CLEAN YOUR SOFT CONTACTS