Handle your contact lenses with care

Nursing experts from theBirminghamand Midland Eye Centre (BMEC) are reminding people to keep their contact lenses scrupulously clean in a bid to avoid infections – some of which could lead to blindness.

Advanced Nurse Practitioner Mohammad Tallouzi and Sister Rehana Khodabukus say wearers should always be careful how they handle their lenses, keep lenses and solutions clean, be mindful of the duration they are worn and have frequent check-ups with their optician.

They say that wearers should always seek medical attention sooner rather than later for any discomfort, redness, pain, blurred vision or light sensitivity to avoid infections, such as microbial keratitis, which can lead to blindness.

The pair have written an article on ‘Contact lens related microbial keratitis – avoidable blindness’ which has been published in the International Journal of Ophthalmic Practice).

Their research, over a four month period in 2010, showed that out of 192 patients who attended the Eye Centre’s A&E department with contact lens related problems 110 had microbial keratitis.

Patients are treated with intensive antibiotics and often need to spend days on the ward as they need close observation and hourly eye drops day and night.

Mohammad said: “Microbial keratitis is one of the main eye traumas for people using contact lenses and can lead to blindness.

“One feature of bacterial keratitis is rapid progression if left untreated – microbial keratitis is a true ocular emergency that requires immediate and intensive evaluation and treatment.

“Early recognition and management of contact lens related problems will help to avoid late complications, so medical attention is always needed.”