Farewell My Contact Lenses

Credit: Flikie Wallpapers

You know how they say “Ignorance is a bliss” like it is a laughing matter. Today, my ignorance may very well cost me my vision. Literally. I have not been aware that I was on the brink of being blind until the last minute!

I have been using contact lenses for a long time, longer than I could remember. The reason is because I have never felt comfortable wearing glasses. They slide down your nose, get foggy whenever the weather’s humid, gross you out when you’re sweaty, and moreover, they can be squashed beneath your body if you accidentally fall asleep without putting them off. For your information, yes, it did happen to me several times. I like being practical, so I like wearing contact lenses.

So many people are afraid of the risks of wearing contact lenses. I remember how freaked out I was when putting them on my eyes for the first time. That was also the moment when I found out that you can touch your eyeballs. Still, one small scratch on your lenses – or even one errand strand of eye lashes, and too long fingernails – can cause irritation and infection, ranging from mere eye itches to fatal blindness. Furthermore, contact lenses are one cause of discomfort, particularly for people with dry eyes.

Experienced contact lenses wearers like me would of course prefer to have a 20/20 vision. Needless to say, I can only hope for some miracle, or the technology of Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) to restore my natural vision, without the interference of glasses anyway.

I am quiet reckless in wearing my lenses. I didn’t consult any eye doctor for the right prescription or for the kind of contact lenses I should use. There are a variety of contact lenses in the world, ranging from whether one has more moisture absorption or less, what color the “iris” is, and what prescription you need. I selected one from a limited variation in the optic near my house. It was grey with the prescription of (-) 1.25.

So far it’s fine. There had been absolutely no problem – very surprising considering that I almost never used any eye drops, even after 7 plus hours of usage!

The problem only came recently. It was a long holiday for Christmas and New Year, approximately 20 days. I was required to attend some events that would have made me uncomfortable wearing glasses for long periods. So I attended while using my contact lenses. They weren’t new, just the pair that I had used for a period of 4 months – although I used it back again after 20 days without contact lenses.

Long story short, blue hazes started to cover my eyes, and the lights had haloes of rainbow around them! What I first thought was the effect of laser lights (the events I attended used a LOT of laser lights), didn’t disappear even though I had arrived home – far away from the influence of laser lights and smokes. What the heck happened?

The blue haze disappeared after I rested my eyes in sleep, sans the contact lenses of course! The next day, I attended the same event. It was all good and clear until the middle of the event, when laser lights and smokes were abound. The lights suddenly had halos again, and I saw blue in practically anything I saw! I started to panic.

My hypotheses at the moment were:

1. The blue of the “iris” – yes, my contact lenses were colored blue – started to seep into my real iris! Oh my!
2. The lenses had been used for too long – well, the instruction said they were for 6 months usage, but it was recommended to remove them after 4 months period.
3. The lenses couldn’t stand laser lights. I thought there was something, some radiation, in those lights that perhaps distorted the chemical composition of the lenses.

Credit: optometry.co.uk

So, I went and disposed the contact lenses. I bought a new one that wasn’t BLUE for a change. In fact, it was gray.

Fast forward to today, which is the first day of school. Obviously, I needed my contact lenses to function maximally. So, I put on my brand new contact lenses.

Voila! There was an opening ceremony. I mindlessly sat on the seat that directly faced the sunlight. The blue haze – even though I noticed it was more gray than blue this time – appeared again. And the halo as expected accompanied the haze. I was, for a lack of a better expression, lost.

My curiosity prompted me to do an internet research. After some painful moments of skimming through online medical papers and “heavy” documents, I found what I was looking for.

“Tight Lens Syndrome”

According to Summit Medical Group (2013), tight lens syndrome is what happens when the soft contact lenses are narrower than the cornea. As the result, it sticks tightly – and uncomfortably – to the cornea, and is very ill-fitted.

The symptoms are as described in my experience: discomfort, blurred vision, rainbows or halos around bright lights. Bingo! My fear is unrealized of me being the only one who’s experiencing this kind of thing.

The problem is that the lens cannot move on the eye. Therefore, there will be a lack of oxygen. Meanwhile, preventing oxygen to come in is the worst possible thing you can do to your eyes, bar stabbing a sharp stick to it, though. The consequence is you developing what is called “Cornea Ulcer”. Basically, your cornea will be scarred, even to the point of being blind!

Horrified, I made a vow to myself to stop using contact lenses, at least until I consult an eye specialist. I would never know that I was on the brink of being blind without knowing this syndrome.

So, what’s the point of my story here? Hopefully, everyone of you will have the initiative to act whenever there is something wrong with your health, no matter how small or dire that “something” is. I get lucky. You have to get lucky too...

Healthy Eyes (Credit: healthandfashion.co.uk)