Are contact lenses harmful to the eyes?
As long as you follow the directions for proper use of the contact lenses and follow your doctor’s orders then contacts are very safe. Problems arise when patients do not follow proper use and care directions for the contacts and when they ignore the doctor’s orders. Because the corneas need to breath and have oxygen, some problems arise when patients wear contacts for too long. Problems also arise when patients do not follow proper cleaning and sanitary instructions and infections develop. These can be nasty infections that cause permanent loss of sight. DO NOT put contacts in your month to clean them and DO NOT remove contacts from your eyes and then put them back in unless they have been cleaned. Also, always wash your hands before handling your contacts. Finally, not everybody can wear contacts; particularly people with dry eye disease.
