Blue and red contact lenses are trendy, are they harmful to wear?

Recently, contact lenses are not only used by many young people with nearsightedness, astigmatism... but many young people who are not nearsighted also choose non-prescription contact lenses in blue, red, purple... to follow the trend.

A doctor from Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital examines a young person's eyes - Photo: THUY DUONG

Many young people listen to the advertisement of "extremely trendy colored contact lenses", buying a variety of colors such as blue, red, gray, brown, purple... There are pairs of contact lenses sold for only 115,000 VND, with a usage time of 6 months.

Bought contact lenses because I wanted blue eyes

PT (16 years old, living in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City) said that although he is not nearsighted or astigmatic, he saw his friend buying contact lenses to have blue eyes, so he also bought some to try.

Recently, H.D. (20 years old, student, living in Go Vap District) went to a hospital to have her eyes examined because about 2 months before, her right eye felt gritty, blurry, and red. D. also wears contact lenses. D. was diagnosed with keratitis caused by the herpes virus.

Despite treatment, my eyes were still blurry and redder. Then I went to the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital and was diagnosed with severe corneal ulceration due to wearing contact lenses.

Doctor Le Thi Kim Chi, deputy head of the refractive department at Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, said that currently many young people with nearsightedness, astigmatism... tend to choose to wear contact lenses because they do not get in the way of glasses when playing sports , being active, or for aesthetic purposes...

In addition to clear contact lenses, there are also colored contact lenses for people with nearsightedness, astigmatism... to choose from. In addition, due to the need for beauty, many people also choose to buy non-degree or colored contact lenses to wear. Young people rarely choose to buy genuine contact lenses, but when buying floating, substandard products, it is easy to cause eye infections for the wearer.

Be careful not to wear it incorrectly.

At the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, doctors in the examination department still see young people wearing contact lenses incorrectly, causing keratitis and corneal infections.

Doctor Kim Chi said there have been cases of contact lens wearers with keratitis, which if not treated promptly, led to severe corneal ulcers and required the removal of the eye.

Dr. Chi recommends that it is best to choose disposable contact lenses. For those who wear contact lenses for a long time, such as a week or a month, when removing the contact lenses, they must be soaked and cleaned. Hands, unclean tap water, dust... are factors that make contact lenses easily dirty, easily causing eye infections.

It is also important to note that the time spent wearing contact lenses during the day should be as short as possible because wearing contact lenses for many hours a day will dry out your eyes, increasing the risk of eye infections.

Do not wear contact lenses overnight because the next day it is easy to get inflammation, dry eyes, and a higher risk of bacteria entering. When wearing contact lenses and your eyes feel irritated or itchy, you should stop wearing contact lenses and go see an eye doctor immediately.

Before you want to wear contact lenses, you need to see an ophthalmologist or refractive technician to see which size of contact lenses is suitable for your eyes. Wearing the right size of contact lenses also reduces the risk of infection.

Doctor LE THI KIM CHI

Consult a doctor when using contact lenses

Ms. Ngoc Hien - owner of a large contact lens shop in Hai Chau district, Da Nang - said that many of her customers are between the ages of 8 and 12. Most of them want to buy contact lenses for convenient wearing when playing sports.

Ms. Hien said that if used properly, a pair of contact lenses costing 200,000 - 350,000 VND can be used from 6 months to 1 year.

"For young children, I only sell glasses when accompanied by a parent, ensuring adult support during use. Children should be taken to see a doctor to check if their eyes are sensitive and if they can wear contact lenses," said Ms. Hien.

Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huong, Department of Ophthalmology, Da Nang C Hospital, said that wearing contact lenses has both advantages and disadvantages depending on each case. Contact lenses have many advantages over glasses such as not being cumbersome, being able to participate in vigorous activities such as running, jumping, when in the rain, without limited vision. When falling or having a strong impact, there is no injury from glass fragments like glasses.

However, contact lenses have disadvantages such as difficulty in removing and inserting, especially for children and first-time wearers; easy injury or corneal scratches leading to ulcers. Prolonged wearing will cause dry eyes, especially non-gas permeable lenses.

Doctor Huong recommends that there are many types of contact lenses on the market, you need to choose the right number and size. You should choose soft and gas-permeable lenses. Put on and take off the lenses properly, wash your hands with soap before removing and inserting. The lens cleaning solution must be guaranteed, you should use disposable lenses once a day.

If there is any abnormality, you should see a doctor soon.

Doctor Dang Thi Thu Huong advises that when there are unusual symptoms or corneal impact, you should see a doctor early to avoid complications of corneal ulcers. Wearing soft contact lenses when playing sports is good, but you need to ensure hygiene, safety and buy quality glasses.

It is especially important to consult a specialist to choose the right type of glasses, quality glasses and suitable for your eyes. When using contact lenses, it is always recommended to use artificial tears to moisturize the surface of the eyeball.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kinh-ap-trong-xanh-do-bat-trend-deo-co-nguy-hai-20241106101900772.htm