When you look around the room, what do you see? Do you see everything clearly, or are there spots in your visual field that are a bit blurry or fuzzy? If your answer is the latter, you need to see an optometrist for an assessment. In fact, it is a good idea to see an optometrist once a year whether or not you are actually noticing any changes to your vision. Optometrists offer vital services for us all. If you're seeking a better understanding of those services, then we invite you to read the articles provided on this blog, which is all about optometrists and their work.
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What Do You See?
Should You Stop Wearing A Torn Contact Lens?
Harry Garcia
There's nothing quite as frustrating as having a contact lens develop a tiny tear. This is especially problematic if you use long-wear contact lenses, rather than single-use contacts. If money or time is tight and you're trying to avoid extra trouble, you might be tempted to just keep wearing that contact lens. But is this a good idea? Here's what you should know about this dangerous practice.
Alters Vision
The first problem with wearing a torn contact lens is that you're not going to get the vision correction that you're expecting. Even a tiny tear in the lens will dramatically alter how the contact improves your vision.
For starters, a tiny tear means that there's a hole or gap between two edges of the contact lens that no longer come together. This can create distortions across part of your vision. However, it's more likely that your vision out of one eye will be entirely warped. That's because the shape and curve of the contact lens is extremely important. If this shape is altered, it won't correct your vision properly.
Damages Eye
The bigger problem here, though, is that you're putting your vision at risk if you wear a torn contact lens.
This might seem surprising to you since contact lenses are extremely soft. However, all you need to do is think about accidentally scraping your hand or arm on a rough piece of plastic. As long as the tear is there, the rough edges can potentially damage the surface of your eye, which is extraordinarily delicate.
What To Do If You've Been Wearing It Already
At this point, you might be worried if you've already been wearing a contact that has a tear in it. At this point you should take the contact out immediately and then visit an eye doctor.
Your eye doctor will be able to quickly tell you with an examination whether or not your eye has been injured by the contact lens. If it has, they'll take steps to help heal the damage and prevent an infection from developing. If there isn't any damage, breathe a sigh of relief. This is also a good time to order a new pair of contacts, and if it's been a while, to get a new vision exam.
In the future, just throw out any contact lens that develops a tear. It's unfortunate, but there's no safe way to wear a damaged contact lens, so it's just a fact of life for contact users.
For more information, contact a clinic like Mather Vision Group.
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