Over 30 million people in the United States have to wear contact lenses. That’s a lot of people who need vision correction! Contact lenses and glasses make up a large part of their wearers’ lives. And there’s more to them than many people think. Because they’re so important to so many people, here are a few interesting facts and things to know about contact lenses.
Interesting Facts
Who wears them?
- Of the 30 million who wear contacts, two thirds of all contact wearers are women.
- Most contact lens wearers (about 75%) are age 25 or older. The average age, however, is 31 years old.
- 80% of all contact wearers use soft lenses.
What You Should Know
Myths about contacts
- Contacts will not get stuck behind your eye. The conjunctiva, a thin membrane, protects your eyes and prevents anything from getting behind your eye.
- Contact lenses also cannot get stuck to your eye. It’s true that they may stick if they dry out; however, you can re-moisten them with a few drops of sterile solution.
- Today’s contact lenses won’t pop out of your eye during sports or wild rides. Even hard lenses won’t dislodge unexpectedly. So enjoy yourself–you most likely won’t have to worry!
The benefits of wearing contacts
- Contacts are effective for vision correction because they don’t affect appearance or most sport performances.
- As a result, many wearers report higher confidence when they wear contact lenses versus glasses.
- Younger wearers and those who switch to contacts from glasses especially report higher confidence in their appearance and socialization.
- However, no single method is better than any other, as they all have pros and cons.
- There are multiple kinds of contacts to accommodate multiple lifestyles. If you are concerned about contact care, you can wear daily disposables or 30-day extended wear lenses. Either way, you can choose not to deal with daily care.
Infections
- 1 out of 500 users per year contacts a serious eye infection that leads to blindness.
- 40-90% of wearers don’t follow the cleaning and care instructions exactly, which can lead to serious eye infections or other complications.
- One such infection, called keratitis, leads to over 1 million doctor visits per year.
Prevention
- Prevent keratitis and other infections by properly cleaning your contact lenses. Follow all instructions, and take no shortcuts.
- Never re-use contact lens solution in a case!
- Don’t sleep in your contact lenses unless your eye doctor has prescribed special lenses that are okay to sleep in. Sleeping in unsafe lenses prevents your eye from “breathing,” and can lead to infections and other eye damage.
- Keep water away from your contacts and eyes. Water that has not been sterilized can carry bacteria and other pathogens. So you should not bathe or swim while wearing contact lenses. You also should not ever rinse or store your contacts in water from the sink.
- Always use a pair of glasses as well as contact lenses. Using glasses gives your eyes a much-needed break, especially in the morning or evening. Plus, glasses make a great backup if contact lenses tear or sustain other damage.
- Visit your eye doctor at least yearly. He or she can help you with any discomfort, vision changes, or other questions. Plus, he or she can make sure that your eyes are staying healthy while wearing contact lenses.