by Joel Harrison
13. April 2011 08:55
Though eye care practitioners have always been convinced that wearing non-prescription contact lenses (usually plano coloured contact lenses) considerably increases the risk of severe complications, up until recently there had been no studies making this connection definite.
Recently, however, researchers, who gathered information in twelve French University Hospitals, have published a report documenting the issue. A. Sauer and T. Bourcier examined 256 patients who had suffered from microbial keratitis between 2007 and 2009 and concluded that cosmetic contact lenses (defined as the ones that were not prescribed for a refractive error) increased the likelihood of the occurrence of microbial keratitis 12.3 times in comparison with other contact lenses.
The authors of the report stated that the problem may be related to the fact that cosmetic contact lenses were seldom sold by eye care professionals and, as a result, their users were rarely informed with respect to proper lens care and hygiene rules.
Loretta B. Szczotka-Flynn, OD, PhD, MS, FAAO, who commented on the research in Contact Lenses Today, stated that this should be enough to persuade government agencies in different countries to make all contact lenses prescription-only.
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