Wearing colored contact lenses - more harm than good.

Contact lenses are widely sold on e-commerce platforms at cheap prices.

There are advantages...

Recently, many students, young professionals, and even young working adults have favored colored contact lenses due to their aesthetic appeal, convenience, and ability to quickly change their appearance.

Since the recent Halloween festival, NNA, an 8th-grade student in Ngo Quyen ward, has started researching colored contact lenses. She recounted that at the festival in European Square on Vu Yen Island, she saw many girls in eye-catching costumes, especially with their striking color-changing eyes thanks to contact lenses. "Seeing them wearing colored contact lenses impressed me, and I wanted to try them to look more beautiful," A. shared.

Colored contact lenses offer aesthetics and fashion to the wearer, but it's important to choose high-quality ones.

Curiosity led A. to start researching the market for cheap contact lenses widely sold on e-commerce platforms. Colored contact lenses come in a wide variety. These lenses change the color of the pupil, making the eyes appear red, yellow, orange, white, copper, brown, smoky gray, pink, and more.

“After trying them on, I took pictures and sent them to my close friends in class. They loved them, saying my eyes looked brighter and more striking. We plan to buy matching colored contact lenses for Christmas to form a team and take commemorative photos,” A. recounted.

It wasn't until A.'s eyes started aching and her eyelids swelled that her family took her to an ophthalmology clinic. The doctor determined that she had irritant conjunctivitis and superficial corneal abrasions due to using substandard contact lenses.

D. MH, a student at Hai Phong University, also had to go to the hospital for treatment of keratitis. Previously, during her high school and university entrance exam preparation period, H. frequently wore contact lenses from morning until 8-9 pm for convenience while studying and to avoid the inconvenience of wearing glasses. Upon examination, the doctor informed her that her cornea was quite severely inflamed, and delayed treatment could affect her long-term vision or even lead to complications.

Mr. D. D. D, H.'s father, shared: "My wife and I were busy, so we didn't notice that our child wore contact lenses all day. Only when she complained of pain and her eyes were red did we rush her to the doctor. Luckily, it was discovered in time."

Using poor-quality contact lenses can affect your eye health.

Few people know that H. has nearsightedness of nearly 4 diopters and chose contact lenses to avoid being teased by her friends for wearing "bottle-bottom" glasses. After switching to contact lenses, she received many compliments from her friends: she looked more confident, her eyes brighter, and her face more balanced. This praise made H. even more convinced that she had made the right choice, and after seeing many types of inexpensive colored contact lenses sold online, she bought a few more pairs to "change her style." "My friends complimented me so much that I liked it, thinking wearing them for a few hours each day wouldn't hurt. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?" H. expressed.

Caution is never superfluous.

Currently, colored contact lenses are widely available on e-commerce platforms at cheap prices, starting from just a few tens of thousands of VND per pair, accompanied by numerous promises such as "absolutely safe," "natural eye enlargement," and "can be worn all day without dryness or irritation."

Notably, in addition to domestic vendors, there are many vendors labeled "foreign," with unclear origins and difficulties in obtaining warranties if there are problems with the product or during use. The ease of purchase, without requiring a doctor's prescription, further increases the risk of users, especially students, using low-quality glasses.

Given this situation, many parents have also expressed concern about the widespread sale of colored contact lenses online. Ms. Vu Thi Nguyet, residing at 56A Pham Tu Nghi (An Bien ward), whose child suffered from keratitis due to using cheap contact lenses, shared: "There are so many sold online, and the low prices make it easy for young people to buy them following the trend. Parents can't always control the situation. I hope that the authorities will tighten the management of this product, especially on e-commerce platforms, to limit the supply of products of unknown origin to students."

Sharing the same view, Mr. D.D.D. (MH's father) believes that for health-related products like contact lenses, sellers need to fully disclose information about their origin and quality certification. This would both protect young consumers and prevent potential vision problems caused by prioritizing low prices or a lack of understanding when using the product.

According to Dr. Truong Khanh My Hang, a specialist at Sunshine International Eye Center, contact lenses can improve vision and aesthetics, but because they come into direct contact with the cornea, their quality must be ensured and they must be used correctly.

The eyes are very sensitive, and wearing glasses for too long can deprive the cornea of oxygen, causing blurred vision and easily leading to inflammation, ulcers, and even blindness if not treated promptly. Users must clean them properly, avoid sharing them, and only buy from reputable sources. Absolutely avoid products of unknown origin because using low-quality products can damage your eyes.

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