Are Contact Lenses for Color Blindness Safe?

Color Vision Deficiency comes with quite some boundaries and restrictions to the lifestyle of those suffering from it. Apart from the fact that those with color blindness are not able to see the world in its true, vivid colors, in some cases, it prevents them from pursuing their passion and dream job.

The good news is that with Dr. Azman’s innovative ColorCorrection System™, the world’s only color blindness “treatment” with a 100% success rate for passing the Ishihara Color Plate Test, anyone with color blindness can now do the things they love to do and pursue the jobs they’ve always dreamed of.

The ColorCorrection System™ works by filtering and changing the wavelength of light that gets into the eyes. The filtering is done with the help of customized filters that are personalized to each wearer’s specific color blindness needs.

These life-changing filters are available to clients in the form of contact lenses or eyeglasses, but the majority of patients happily choose contact lenses over glasses. If you are anything like most of these patients, you’d also be looking to use contact lenses for the first time, and you’d likely be thinking…How safe are contact lenses for color blindness?

How Safe Is It To Wear Contact Lenses for Color Blindness?

Practically speaking, contact lenses for color blindness are very safe. Classed as medical devices, contact lenses are heavily regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. When you care for them and use them according to your Doctor’s instructions, you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

With that said, it is important also to state that (like with every other thing that’s sensitive in life) if you fail to adhere to the safety guidelines (on how to properly wear, clean and store them) there are potential risks involved.

In this article, we will outline the potential side-effects and risks involved with wearing contact lenses; list how to avoid any potential risk associated with the use of contact lenses, and then describe the proper way to care and store contact lenses for color blindness.

After reading all of this information, you should be able to come to an educated conclusion concerning if contact lenses for color blindness are safe for your eyes or not.

Potential Side Effects and Risks of Contact Lenses for Color Blindness

Listed below are five potential side-effects and risks of wearing contact lenses. Take note that most of these risks arise as a direct result of wearing contact lenses for extended periods. Replacing your contact lenses when due, as well as minimizing wear time (especially overnight), will reduce or eliminate most of these risks.

1. Blockage of Oxygen Supply to the Eyes: Optimum supply of oxygen to the eye is critical to keep the eyes healthy. Given that some contact lenses (like the PMMA contact lenses) are placed directly on the cornea, it cuts off an adequate supply of oxygen to the eye, which could lead to an eye infection.

To prevent this from occurring, patients can go gas permeable contact lenses (GP contact lenses) or hydrogel contact lenses. These contact lenses, being porous, allow a good supply of oxygen to the eyes.

Also, try to avoid wearing your contact lenses for an extended period, to allow your eyes “breathe.” Wearing your contact lenses overnight should also be avoided as much as possible, as when your lenses are in and your eyes closed, your cornea will get severely starved of oxygen.

2. Corneal Abrasion: If your eyes are too dry, or you don’t fit your contact lenses for color blindness properly, they could scratch on your cornea and lead to corneal abrasion.

Sleeping with your contact lenses in could also increase the risk of corneal abrasion. The way this happens is that the lenses could trap particles like sand and dirt, which could rub against and abrase your cornea. And when the cornea is abrased, bacteria and viruses could easily get through, leading to eye infections.

3. Conjunctivitis (Red Eye): When you wear your eye contact lenses for extended periods (especially overnight), you increase the risk of having conjunctivitis. This is as a result of the moist environment that is created, which promotes the breeding of bacteria and viruses that irritate the eyes.

Repeated irritation stemming from wearing contact lenses usually lead to a common type of conjunctivitis called Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC). As a matter of importance, always ensure you remove your contact lenses before going to bed. Apart from preventing conjunctivitis, you will avoid a lot of other eye infection that is contracted through sleeping in with your contact lenses.

4. Irritations Due to Drug Interaction: The concurrent use of eye contact lenses and drugs (especially contraceptive pills) could lead to dryness of the eye, which will lead to irritation.

The combination of contraceptive pills and contact lenses upsets the balance in the tear film. The tear film consists of 3 layers that bathe and keeps the eye surface wet. When there is an imbalance, it will lead to excessive tearing and burning sensation in the eyes, which will aggravate further due to restriction of oxygen from getting into the eyes.

5. Eye Ulcers: These are open sores on the surface of the cornea. They appear as white or grayish spots, and they occur when your eyes are infected due to extended use of contact lenses. They occur due to lack of proper cleaning and storage of eye contact lenses. They can lead to blurred vision.

Regardless of the potential side-effects listed above, contact lenses for color blindness are still an excellent option for those who do not like the idea of putting on cumbersome eyeglasses.

To curtail the above-listed risks and fully enjoy the fantastic benefits that contact lenses for color blindness have to offer, you need to follow your Doctor’s instructions carefully, and properly care for your contact lenses.

Remember, the biggest problem with contact lenses for color blindness is not the contact lenses themselves, but the person putting it on.

Steps to Eliminate Risks Associated With The Use of Contact Lenses For Color Blindness

The most effective way to guard against eye infections and other contact-lens related infection risk factors is to be more meticulous about your eye contact lens care.

Listed below are tips that will help you to keep your eyes safe and healthy. Following the guidelines below will allow you to enjoy the benefits of using contact lenses for color blindness risk-free.

• Replace Your Contact Lenses On Schedule: If your contact lenses were prescribed to be worn for a maximum of 30 days, ensure you toss them out and replace with a new one. Wearing your contact lenses past the recommended wearing period gives room for lens deposits and bacteria to accumulate. This increases the risk of contracting an eye infection.
• Don’t Sleep With Your Contact Lenses: Sleeping with contact lenses is a leading cause of most contact lens-related eye infections. The risk of getting an eye infection from sleeping with contact lenses is so high that the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that the risk of doing so increases by 6 to 8 times.

Tthe eyes need a sufficient supply of oxygen to stay healthy. When you sleep with your contact lenses on, that’s an extra layer of material that reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to the surface of the eye.

• Never Rinse Your Contact Lenses With Tap Water: When you rinse your contact lenses with tap water, you expose them to parasites that are capable of causing a dangerous eye infection called Acanthamoeba Keratitis. Another way these parasites can get on to your contact lenses for color blindness is when you take your bath or wash your face while wearing your contact lenses. You also want to make sure that your hands are clean and dry before touching your contact lenses.
• Don’t Swim With Your Contact Lenses On: Swimming with your contacts also exposes it to the same Acanthamoeba Keratitis-causing parasites that are present in tap water.

If you get your face dipped underwater while wearing your contact lenses, doctors recommend that you take them off and find a replacement – if disposable. If the contacts are non-disposable, it is advised that you disinfect them thoroughly before fitting them again.

• Change Your Contacts Solution Frequently: When you take out your contact lenses from its case, experts recommend that you totally empty the storage solution from the case and refill with a fresh supply of solution. Doing so will prevent bacteria from growing within the case.

• Consider Using Disposable Contacts: Your chances of contracting an eye infection will drastically drop when you use a daily disposable contact lens. The fact that you get to handle the lenses just once (when fitting them); you don’t have to disinfect, clean or store them; and you get to throw them after a single-use, eliminates most of the potential eye infection risk factors associated with wearing contact lenses.

If you take the precautions listed above, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about wearing contact lenses for color blindness.

How to Properly Care For Your Contact Lenses For Color Blindness

Lack of proper care for your contact lenses can expose you to a lot of infection risk factors, leading to avoidable eye infections.

Learning and following the proper procedure to clean, disinfect, and store your contact lens is vital to eliminate these risks.

The good news is that proper lens care is easier than you will expect. With the lens care systems available these days, cleaning, disinfecting, and storing lenses take less time, money, and causes less stress than it did years back.

Outlined below is a simple 5 step process for adequately caring for your contact lenses for color blindness:

1. Sanitize Your Hands: Start by washing and sanitizing your hands before handling your contact lenses. While washing your hands, avoid using moisturizing soaps, as they are not ideal for contact lenses. After washing your hands, wipe them dry with a lint-free towel.

3. Clean: Remove one lens, place it in your palm, apply a sufficient amount of the recommended cleaning solution, and gently rub it against your palm using your other finger in a back and forth pattern – avoid circular motions. Cleaning your contact lenses this way will get it rid of eye-produced deposits and other debris that might cause contact less discomfort and infections.
4. Rinse: Rinse the contact lens to get rid of the loose debris and deposits. Being that rinsing is a crucial step, ensure you take as long as your ECP or the packaging recommended.

4. Store: Place the just disinfected lens in a separate lens holder or case and pour in fresh lens solution. For maximum safety, avoid topping off the old solution with a fresh one.

5. Rinse and Repeat: Repeat steps two through four for the second lens.

Ensure you follow the above-listed procedures to clean and disinfect your contact lenses for color blindness at least once per day. In the case of extended wear contact lenses, clean and disinfect the lenses once you pull them off. If they are disposable contacts, discard as recommended and replace with a fresh pair.

When you follow the simple guidelines in this article, not only will wearing contact lenses for color blindness be totally safe for your eyes, they will be more comfortable to wear as well.

Seeing how safe contact lenses for color blindness are (by following simple routines), are you ready to get yourself a pair?

If you are, then contact colormax.org today by calling (443) 470-9844, or filling out our secure online contact form.