NVISION Laser Eye Centers' Founder Dr. Tom Tooma Outlines the CDC Contact Lens Hygiene Recommendations to Prevent Eye Infections
Newport Beach, California (PRWEB) November 21, 2014 -- A report released last week from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked poor contacts lens use and hygiene habits to hundreds of thousands of eye infections per year. The report was released in advance of the first annual Contact Lens Health Week (Nov. 17-21) – an industry-wide effort to raise awareness for this growing issue.
Common risk factors for Keratitis – an inflammatory disease affecting the cornea – include poor contact lens storage case hygiene, and the misuse of overnight and extended wear lenses. According to Jennifer Cope, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, "People who wear contact lenses overnight are more than 20 times more likely to get Keratitis."
Further highlighting the negative impact of improper contact lens use, the CDC report states that Keratitis, and conditions caused by contact lens wear, are responsible for an estimated 930,000 doctor's office and outpatient clinic visits and 58,000 emergency department visits each year.
“At NVISION Laser Eye Centers, our goal is to provide a life-changing alternative to contact lenses and glasses, but we also understand that not everyone is a candidate for LASIK surgery,” said Dr. Tom Tooma, Founder of NVISION Laser Eye Centers. “So it’s important to educate those folks who do wear contacts on the proper hygiene techniques to avoid the risk of infection.”
According to Dr. Tooma, the following preventative measures are recommended by the CDC:
• Wash hands with soap and water. Dry hands well with a clean cloth before touching contact lenses each time they are inserted or removed.
• Don't sleep in contact lenses unless prescribed to do so by an eye care provider.
• Keep water away from contact lenses. Avoid showering while wearing contact lenses, and remove them before using a hot tub or swimming.
• Rub and rinse contact lenses with contact lens disinfecting solution, never water or saliva, to clean them each time they are removed.
• Never store contact lenses in water.
• Replace contact lenses as often as recommended by an eye care provider.
• Rub and rinse contact lens case with contact lens solution, never water, and then empty and dry with a clean tissue. Store upside down with the caps off after each use.
• Replace contact lens case at least once every 3 months.
• Don't "top off" solution. Use only fresh contact lens solution in the case. Never mix fresh solution with old or used solution.
• Use only the contact lens solution recommended by an eye care provider.
About NVISION Laser Eye Centers
NVISION Laser Eye Centers is an innovative leader in lifestyle surgical eye care with 18 locations in California, Nevada and Oregon. NVISION is one of the first in the nation to offer LASIK eye surgery with the Swiss-engineered Ziemer Femto LDV™ Crystal Line Laser. In addition, NVISION was one of the first in the U.S. to offer the bladeless, computer-controlled LenSx laser -- unquestionably the most technologically advanced option for laser cataract.
With more than 1700 eye doctors who refer their patients and trust their own eyes to NVISION surgeons, NVISION Laser Eye Centers is the Eye Doctors’ #1 Choice®. For more information, visit http://www.NVISIONCenters.com or call 1-877-91NVISION (1-877-916-8474).
JENNIFER HEINLY, J&J CONSULTING, +1 (949) 716-9829, [email protected]
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