Since 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been alerting healthcare professionals and their patients who wear soft contact lenses to a rising number of reports in the US of rare but serious fungal eye infections.
According to the FDA and CDC, soft contact lenses users are highly at risk for rare but serious fungal infections in the eye that can cause permanent damage or loss of sight. Some patients have reported significant loss of vision, resulting in the need for corneal transplant.
Based on the news released by the FDA and CDC, a fungus called Fusarium has been identified as the cause of reported eye infections caused by wearing soft contact lenses and contact lens solutions. Since 2006, 109 cases have also been reported suspected of Fusarium keratitis in 17 US states.
More than 30 million Americans wear contact lenses. And last Thursday, CDC updated that close to a million people a year get serious cases of eye infection called keratitis and most can be blamed on dirty contact lenses. According to NBC News, it is the first methodical look at the issue and it shows that eye specialists are right in warning users about contact lens hygiene. CDC also stressed these eye infections are serious and now common.
"CDC estimates that, each year, Americans make nearly a million doctor visits for keratitis, at a cost of $175 million in direct healthcare costs," CDC said in a statement. "Most eye infections are easily treatable if caught early but can lead to inflammation, pain and even blindness if people don't seek treatment. Contact lens wear is one of the primary culprits that lead to infections."
Since 2006, CDC has recorded three US outbreaks of Fusarium and Acanthamoeba keratitis. As said by The Guardian Liberty Voice, these two types of eye infections, caused by improper contact lenses care, can lead to blindness in serious cases.
Keratitis is a corneal infection that can cause redness, blurred vision and irritation of the eye. Blindness caused by keratitis is rare and typically only occurs in very serious cases. And taking poor care of contact lenses is the biggest risk factor for developing eye infections.
The CDC mentions negligence and poor hygiene as the main culprits behind the high cost and number of eye infection cases caused by contact lenses. Overnight lens wearers are over 20 times more susceptible to eye infections. Extended-wear lenses should be taken out regularly for cleaning and to rest the eyes.
CDC says ordinary soft contact lenses were responsible for 5 cases per 10,000, while hard contact lenses caused about 4 in 100,000 cases.
The CDC recommends changing lens cases no less than once every three months and washing the case with contact solution, not water, before storing it upside down to dry after each use. Users should keep a backup pair of glasses and to always use new solution when cleaning contact lenses.
The report is just a reminder for contact-lens wearers to avoid eye infection by washing and drying their hands well before touching their contacts and by keeping lenses away from water when washing them and when showering or swimming.
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