A good number of people might opt not to wear spectacles even if they need them badly. Stephanie Fsadni learns about the possible repercussions and what one should do when wearing their alternatives, contact lenses.
Over 50 per cent of the population may need prescription glasses but a good proportion still avoid wearing them for a number of reasons.
“Most people seem to think that if they wear their spectacles, their eyes will get used to them, and their vision and prescription will progress, and get worse. This is totally wrong,” claims Mario Vella, chairman of the Ophthalmic Department at Mater Dei Hospital. “Wearing your spectacles will have no effect on whether your prescription will progress or not. Wearing them will only affect whether you see clearly or not.”
Others find wearing spectacles cosmetically unacceptable, even though in this day and age one can find frames of all shapes, colours and brands and are advertised in glossy magazines.
“This tends to be commoner in females than in males,” according to Vella. “Others are concerned about what people might say about them if they see them in spectacles and, sometimes, unfortunately, it can be due to peer pressure, especially in young adults.”
Computers, mobile technology and the fact that we are connected 24/7, can also cause strain or exacerbate existing eye conditions
Not wearing your glasses, even if you have low-power lenses, only means you will strain to remain in focus throughout the day.
Computers, mobile technology and the fact that we are connected 24/7, can also cause strain or exacerbate existing eye conditions.
“This may lead to an increase in dry eye syndrome as we blink less, and accommodation spasm, where the patient finds it difficult and takes him some time to focus.
“For the first condition, lubricating drops is indicated, and for the latter, regular breaks from intermediate work and forcing oneself to focus at a distance will reduce the accommodation spasm [20-20-20 rule, i.e. every 20 minutes take a 20-second break, look away from the screen and look at something 20 feet away].”
The first routine eye check-up should be done at the age of four or five years, unless problems show up beforehand.
“If the patient needs prescription glasses, then he needs to be checked every six months to check if the prescription is changing and to keep the prescription glasses up to date. Earlier examination is recommended if, for example, squint is noted by a child’s parents.”
An alternative to wearing glasses are contact lenses. It is, however, advisable not to start wearing lenses before the age of 15 to 16, “so that the patient is more responsible for his or her actions”, says Vella.
“The reason for the age limit is because in a hospital setting we tend to see the extreme end of contact lens-induced infections which can be quite serious and require hospital treatment. These complications from contact lens abuse tend to occur in the younger generations.”
An exception to the rule might be when the patient practises a sport where spectacles might actually pose a hazard.
“In these exceptional cases, one would advise the use of daily disposable contact lenses only when practising the sport.”
Contact lenses nowadays can be fitted on most types of eyes. They can correct for a very wide range of refractive error, and also a high degree of astigmatism. In certain conditions, like keratoconus (conical-shaped cornea), the contact lens must be specially made to fit the curvature of the cornea.
There are three types of contact lenses: the rigid gas permeable lenses; the soft lenses, which allow high oxygen permeability to the cornea, which are also the most commonly used; and the hybrid contact lenses, which consist of a rigid centre and a soft ‘skirt’.
The prescription of one’s spectacles and that of contact lenses should be different, unless one has very low-power lenses.
“It has to be worked out for each individual. Put simply, in short-sighted persons, the power of the contact lens will be less than that of the spectacles, and in a long-sighted person, the power of the contact lens will be higher than that of the spectacles,” explains Vella.
The most commonly used types of contact lenses nowadays are the monthly disposable lenses and the daily disposable ones, which can be worn all day long and removed before going off to sleep.
If wearing contact lenses for work – meaning spending long hours in an air-conditioned environment or in front of a computer – then one should ensure that his eyes do not dry up and use lubricating drops that can be used with contact lenses so as to maintain the eyes comfortable throughout the day.
Contact lenses
One needs to handle his contact lenses with care to avoid infections. Hand hygiene is a top priority with monthly disposable lenses. These require regular daily cleaning and disinfecting with the proper solutions to prevent surface coating and infections.
Daily disposable lenses also require good hand hygiene for wearing and discarding, but as these lenses are discarded after a single use, they require no cleaning.
Lenses can also be worn when coming into contact with water, such at the beach, pools and water sports, but extra care has to be taken.
“In such situations, ideally one should wear watertight goggles to avoid risks of infection,” suggests Vella.
Safety tips
DO get a yearly contact lens prescription from your ophthalmologist, orthopist or optometrist.
DO wash your hands prior to putting on contact lenses.
DO make sure contact lenses and lens storage cases are cleaned and disinfected regularly, according to your eye doctor’s instructions.
DO start with the same eye when you put on your contact lenses, so you don’t mix up the right and left lenses.
DO keep up-to-date prescription spectacles for when your eyes need a break from contact lenses.
DO replace contact lenses regularly, according to your eye doctor’s directions.
DO always rub contact lenses when you clean them, even if using a “no-rub” solution.
DON’T place contact lenses in your mouth or use your saliva to wet them.
DON’T use tap water to clean your lenses.
DON’T “top off” old solution in your contact lens case. Instead, discard the old solution and replace it with fresh solution.