Video – Eye Anatomy: The Cornea…and Contact Lenses, Degenerations and Keratoconus

Your eye is like a camera.  There are 2 structures that focus light – much like the lens of a camera.  These 2 structures are the cornea and the lens.  The cornea is the clear front surface of your eye that is located in front of the colored part of your eye (called the iris).

If you are a contact lens wearer – the contact lens sits on the cornea.  Not all corneas are the same size.  Some are more curved or “steep” and others are more “flat”.  It is important to be properly fit for contact lenses by your eye doctor.  If a contact lens is not properly fit, the contact can cause serious problems for the wearer – including corneal distortion, corneal swelling, corneal ulcers, inflammation and more.

A corneal topographer is an instument that can detect any corneal distortions caused from a contact lens.  A contact lens may look and feel “fine” but, it can still be causing problems that you may be unaware of.  Many times sleeping in your contact lenses or overwearing your contacts (wearing a 2 week contact for more than 2 weeks) can cause corneal distortions.

Cornea With Keratoconus

At Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines, Sunrise and Davie- we perform a corneal topography on ALL contact lens patients. During the contact lens eye exam we use the corneal topographer to monitor the health of the patient’s cornea before fitting with a new contact lens and also to monitor the corneal health year to year for established contact lens wearers.

Corneal Topography can also detect some corneal degenerations and corneal dystrophies like keratoconus.  Typically a person with keratoconus has a lot of astigmatistm, distorted vision and possibly sensitivity to light.  The cornea starts to protrude in a “cone-like” fashion.  Most of the time a specialty contact lens can help these patients see clearer and may prevent the corneal dystrophy progression.  In advanced cases, the apex of the cornea may thin so drastically from keratoconus that a corneal transplant may be necessary.

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Video: Contact Lens Tips for Insertion, Removal and Cleaning

This is a good video from Optifree that gives instructions on Contact Lens insertion, removal, proper cleaning and other instructions and tips for successful contact lens wear.

ALWAYS wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly each time you handle your contact lenses. This will help eliminate germs (bacteria, viruses, fungus etc) that can cause eye infections and vision loss.

Clean, Rinse and Disinfect your contact lenses after wearing them. Make sure that you DO rub your contact lenses (even if the solution says “No Rub”) – this will help in loosening any deposits, films or debris on your lenses.   Saline solutions are used to RINSE contact lenses (NOT to clean or store contacts) – use multipurpose solutions for cleaning and storing contacts.

Remove your lenses IMMEDIATELY if they become uncomfortable or your eyes become red and/or light sensitive. Discomfort and irritation can be an early warning sign of a problem.  If discomfort continues AFTER you remove your contact lenses – IMMEDIATELY contact your eye doctor.

DO NOT INSERT A CONTACT LENS INTO AN EYE THAT IS RED, IRRITATED, PAINFUL  OR UNCOMFORTABLE!!

Do NOT sleep in your contact lenses. People who sleep in their contact lenses have a higher risk of eye infections and ulcerations.

DISCARD your contact lenses as directed by your eye doctor (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc). Wearing a contact lens longer than the approved wear time can cause infections and corneal distortions (the front of the eye can become warped with contact lens overwear).

Do NOT swim, shower or bathe in your contacts.  Tap water and pools can have organisms in them that can cause infections an even PERMENANT vision loss.

Have YEARLY Contact Lens Eye Examinations. Your eye doctor can re-evaluate and re-fit (if needed) your contact lenses for you every 12 months.  Sometimes contact lenses feel comfortable even if they are causing problems.  Your eye doctor will evaluate if the prescription needs to be changed to get you the most precise vision and they will also evaluate if the contact lens that you are wearing is causing problems that you may be unaware of.

CLICK HERE for more information about Contact Lenses from Visionary Eyecare’s website.