Disposable contact lenses being discarded down the drain are posing a threat to the environment by contributing to plastic pollution, according to new research.uihc.org The study by The Arizona State University (ASU) suggests around 2-3 billion lenses are flushed down the toilet each year in the US, generating 20-23 metric tons (44,000-51,000 lbs) of wastewater plastics.drhults.com Charles Rolsky, a PhD student at ASU and one of the study authors, said: "We found that 15-20% of contact-lens wearers are flushing the lenses down the sink or toilet. These lenses then end up in wastewater treatment plants and farmland as sewage sludge, according to the researchers.
The scientists are concerned that fragmented lenses cause aquatic life such as fish to mistake them for food. The pieces then eventually find their way into human food supply, while posing an ecological risk to birds, worms and other vulnerable species. Contact lenses are generally made using a mixture of silicones, fluoropolymers and acrylic glass to create a soft material that allows oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye. According to the researchers, these materials are not routinely screened for environmental monitoring studies, which is why pollution from contact lenses has avoided detection until now. The team exposed five polymers in contact lenses to microorganisms found in wastewater treatment facilities. Varun Kelkar, one of the study authors from ASU, said: "We found that there were noticeable changes in the bonds of the contact lenses after long-term treatment with the plant’s microbes. "When the plastic loses some of its structural strength, it will break down physically. The researchers want manufacturers to provide information on the label, which includes telling people how to properly dispose of their contact lenses. Lomb - has recently introduced a recycling programme. The results of the research were presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.
Avoid the "one size fits all" contacts. The best way to avoid side effects is to go for prescription white contacts first. Clean your hands before wearing/fitting/inserting [https://myscaryeyes.com/crazy-halloween-contacts/ crazy contacts] to avoid risk of eye infection. Be careful when wearing or inserting the contacts, especially the full-white contact lenses. You might end up scratching your eye if you are not gentle. Check for side effects or dangers such as discharge, itchiness, impaired vision and other symptoms listed by the FDA to avoid development of side effects. Theatrical contact-lenses can be worn using the same steps on how to wear crazy lenses. Please visit the steps we have demonstrated in the linked article. Let’s look at removing white contacts from the eye. 2. Hold down the lower eyelid using the middle finger. 3. Slide back the lens toward the lower part of the eye using the forefinger. 4. Gently pinch the costume contact lens using the forefinger and your thumb. Gently remove the lens caring not to fold it excessively. One important precaution is to ensure you never share costume contacts, or any other contact color lenses. If you do, you risk eye infections and even loss of eye-sight. Never sleep with these contacts on your eyes. On shopping for full white contacts, ensure that you are sure of prescription or non prescription options before you look at the price tag. Cheap isn’t always safe, but you can achieve a great Halloween look with these lenses.
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You must have a valid, current prescription for any contact lenses or prescription eyewear that you are ordering issued by a duly licensed eye-care professional located in the USA. You have not been advised by an eye care professional to stop or suspend wearing contact lenses for any medical reason. You will continue to have your eyes examined regularly by a licensed eye care professional. You will restrict your contact lens wearing schedule to the recommended wearing schedule established by your eye-care professional, and you will not exceed this recommended wearing schedule as this can lead to serious eye-health complications. You understand that you must take proper care of your contact lenses as directed by your eye care professional.
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Contact lenses are an excellent choice for nearly anyone who needs vision correction and doesn't want to wear eyeglasses full time or undergo LASIK surgery. Here are the basics you should know about contact lenses before seeing your eye doctor if you are interested in wearing contacts. The first choice when considering contact lenses is which lens material will best satisfy your needs. Soft lenses are made from gel-like, water-containing plastics called hydrogels. These lenses are very thin and pliable and conform to the front surface of the eye. Introduced in the early 1970s, hydrogel lenses made contact lens wear much more popular because they typically are immediately comfortable.
The only alternative at the time was hard contact lenses made of PMMA plastic (see below). PMMA lenses typically took weeks to adapt to and many people couldn't wear them successfully. Silicone hydrogel lenses are an advanced type of soft contact lenses that are more porous than regular hydrogel lenses and allow even more oxygen to reach the cornea. Introduced in 2002, silicone hydrogel contact lenses are now the most popular lenses prescribed in the United States. Gas permeable lenses — also called GP or RGP lenses — are rigid contact lenses that look and feel like PMMA lenses (see below) but are porous and allow oxygen to pass through them.
Because they are permeable to oxygen, GP lenses can be fit closer to the eye than PMMA lenses, making them more comfortable than conventional hard lenses. Since their introduction in 1978, gas permeable contact lenses have essentially replaced nonporous PMMA contact lenses. GP contacts often provide sharper vision than soft and silicone hydrogel contacts — especially if you have astigmatism. It usually takes some time for your eyes to adjust to gas permeable lenses when you first start wearing them, but after this initial adaptation period, most people find GP lenses are as comfortable as hydrogel lenses. Hybrid contact lenses are designed to provide wearing comfort that rivals soft or silicone hydrogel lenses, combined with the crystal-clear optics of gas permeable lenses.
Hybrid lenses have a rigid gas permeable central zone, surrounded by a "skirt" of hydrogel or silicone hydrogel material. Despite these features, only a small percentage of people in the U.S. PMMA lenses are made from a transparent rigid plastic material called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which also is used as a substitute for glass in shatterproof windows and is sold under the trademarks Lucite, Perspex and Plexiglas. PMMA lenses have excellent optics, but they do not transmit oxygen to the eye and can be difficult to adapt to. These (now old-fashioned) "hard contacts" have virtually been replaced by GP lenses and are rarely prescribed today. In 2017, 64 percent of contact lenses prescribed in the U.S.
Until 1979, everyone who wore contact lenses removed and cleaned them nightly. The introduction of "extended wear" enabled wearers to sleep in their contacts. 30 consecutive nights of lens wear — the maximum wearing time approved by the FDA for certain brands of extended wear lenses. Even with proper care, contact lenses (especially soft contacts) should be replaced frequently to prevent the build-up of lens deposits and contamination that increase the risk of eye infections. Gas permeable contact lenses are more resistant to lens deposits and don't need to be discarded as frequently as soft lenses. Often, GP lenses can last a year or longer before they need to be replaced. The most frequently prescribed contact lens replacement schedule in the U.S.
2017 was monthly (40 percent), followed by daily (35 percent), every one to two weeks (24 percent) and annually (1 percent). Spherical contact lenses have the same lens power throughout the entire optical part of the lens to correct myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness). Toric soft contact lenses have different powers in different meridians of the lens to correct astigmatism as well as nearsightedness or farsightedness. Multifocal contact lenses (including bifocal contacts) contain different power zones for near and far vision to correct presbyopia as well as nearsightedness or farsightedness. Some multifocal lenses also can correct astigmatism. Cosmetic contact lenses include color contacts designed to change or intensify your eye color.
Halloween, theatrical and other special-effect contacts also are considered cosmetic lenses. A contact lens prescription is required for cosmetic contacts even if you have no refractive errors that need correction. All of these lenses can be custom made for hard-to-fit eyes. Other lens designs also are available — including lenses fabricated for use in special situations, such as correcting for keratoconus. Bifocal contacts for astigmatism. These are advanced soft contacts that correct both presbyopia and astigmatism, so you can remain glasses-free after age 40 even if you have astigmatism. Contacts for dry eyes. Are your contacts uncomfortably dry? Certain soft contact lenses are specially made to reduce the risk of contact lens-related dry eye symptoms.
Colored lenses. Many of the types of lenses described above also come in colors that can enhance the natural color of your eyes — that is, make your green eyes even greener, for example. Other colored lenses can totally change the color of your eyes, as in from brown to blue. Special-effect lenses. Also called theatrical, novelty, or costume lenses, special-effect contacts take coloration one step further to make you look like a cat, a vampire, or another alter-ego of your choice. Prosthetic lenses. Colored contact lenses also can be used for more medically oriented purposes. Opaque soft lenses called prosthetic contacts can be custom-designed for an eye that has been disfigured by injury or disease to mask the disfigurement and match the appearance of the other, unaffected eye.
Custom lenses. If conventional contact lenses don't seem to work for you, you might be a candidate for custom contact lenses that are made-to-order for your individual eye shape and visual needs. UV-inhibiting lenses. Some soft contact lenses help protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet rays that can cause cataracts and other eye problems. But because contacts don't cover your entire eye, you still should wear UV-blocking sunglasses outdoors for the best protection from the sun. Scleral lenses. Large-diameter gas permeable lenses called scleral contacts are specially designed to treat keratoconus and other corneal irregularities, as well as presbyopia.
Myopia control contacts. Special contact lenses are being developed to slow or stop the progression of nearsightedness in children. Which Contact Lens Is Right for You? First, your contacts must address the problem that is prompting you to wear lenses in the first place. Your contact lenses must provide good vision by correcting your myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or some combination of those vision problems. Watch this video on what causes blurry vision and how we can correct it. Second, the lens must fit your eye. To do that, lenses come in tens of thousands of combinations of diameter and curvature.
Your ECP is skilled in evaluating your eye's physiology, and your eyesight, to determine which lens best satisfies the two criteria above. Third, you may have another medical need that drives the choice of lens. For example, your ECP might pick a particular lens if your eyes tend to be dry. Finally, consider your "wish list" of contact lens features — colors, for example, or overnight wear. When you and your ECP decide on the right lens for you, you'll be given a contact lens prescription. You'll be able to buy a supply of lenses from your ECP or from the many other outlets that sell contact lenses. Caring for your contact lenses — cleaning, disinfecting and storing them — is much easier than it used to be.