“While people who get serious eye infections represent a small percentage of those who wear contacts, they serve as a reminder for all contact lens wearers to take simple steps to prevent infections,” said study author Dr. Jennifer Cope. She’s a medical epidemiologist in CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch.
Even when lens-related eye infections are minor, they can still be painful and disruptive.
For example, patients may have to make daily visits to an eye doctor or use eye drops every hour to treat the infection, Cope’s team said.
Many of these events didn’t have to happen. According to Cope’s team, more than 1 out of 4 infections were linked with easily preventable risk behaviors, such as wearing contact lenses while sleeping or wearing them longer than recommended.
According to the CDC, people should not keep their contact lenses in while sleeping, because doing so raises the risk of eye infection by 6 to 8 times.
It’s also important to replace contact lenses as often as recommended by your eye doctor, the CDC said. Failure to do so increases the risk of complications and eye problems.
Fromer offered his own tips. Using old or incorrect lens-storage solutions can up infection risks, he said. And always wash your hands before applying lenses to the eye.
“Contact lenses provide an excellent method of vision correction when used properly,” Fromer said, but, “improper use of contact lenses can lead to serious eye infections and permanent visual loss.”
The report was published Aug. 18 in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in advance of Contact Lens Health Week, Aug. 22-26.