Is there any inherent danger involved in sharing your eyewear with someone else? Specifically, is there anything wrong with swapping contact lenses with another person whom you trust? This is an issue of eye care that is often grossly overlooked by people living in St. Paul, MN, in part due to the fact that it’s relatively uncommon. Most people don’t use each other’s contact lenses for any reason, and so it’s easy for isolated incidents to slip under the radar. Still, it’s important to outline all the potential health risks in order to prevent even a few people from taking part in behavior that might potentially damage their vision.
Even though it’s not something that happens very often, the swapping of eyewear in St. Paul, MN isn’t unheard of. It typically happens among teenagers and young adults who wear contact lenses for cosmetic reasons, rather than to correct their vision. It’s been suggested that cosmetic lenses are often perceived as mere fashion accessories rather than actual pieces of eyewear, causing certain individuals to take for granted the need to be careful when using them so as to protect their own eyesight. Those who engage in the swapping of contact lenses are often unaware of the dangers of doing so until it’s too late, at which point serious problems may have arisen.
One of the most common consequences of eyewear swapping is the development of ocular abrasions. Contact lenses, whether they’re made for corrective purposes or not, are usually fitted for the eyes of a specific wearer. Since not everyone’s eyes are the exact same size and shape, using another person’s eyewear can be damaging to your own eyes because the lens will never be a perfect fit. It can cause scratches and lead to irritation and inability to see clearly. The eyes may become puffy and read as the contact lenses rub against their surface.
Wearing someone else’s eyewear may also induce allergic reactions. Certain individuals might be allergic to the contact lens solution that others use with their own contacts, which can cause numerous complications should they decide to wear another person’s eyewear. When someone is fitted for contacts, the eye doctor performing the procedure makes sure that they are free of any allergies that might cause them to experience trouble when wearing their own lenses. While this problem is a little less common in St. Paul, MN than the abrasion issue mentioned above, it can be just as damaging.
Lastly, using someone else’s eyewear can easily aid in the transferal of harmful bacteria, as contact lenses spend their time soaking in the wearer’s tears.
If you need quality eyewear in St. Paul, MN, Specs Appeal has all the services you could ever hope for. In addition to providing health exams and eyewear repair, we also provide our customers with contact lenses, prescription glasses and a wealth of eye care services to keep their vision clear and healthy.
