Ok, so back to my random thoughts. I had written about my thoughts on the crooked bridge last week, and i'm not gonna write about politics again today. Yap, i think i'd better not say too much about politics. It's better to appear to be knowledgeable by saying little, than to appear to be ignorant by saying too much. I do, however, hope that a certain old man who was responsible for planning the crooked bridge and no longer the person calling the shot can just
Now, on to another issue. In February, a public alert was issued by MOH Singapore on the increasing incidence of contact lens related fungal corneal infections. The alert warned contact lens users about the possible cause, which might be connected to Bausch and Lomb's ReNu multipurpose contact lens solution. Before they came to any conclusive finding, it was of course in the best interest of the contact lens users to discontinue using ReNu solution.
After this announcement was made, it wasn't wrong to expect that contact lens users would react to it immediately. I mean, c'mon, an alert was given, and the stock of ReNu solution on the market (in Singapore) was recalled by Bausch and Lomb, and those who had been using ReNu should either stop using it totally, or even stop wearing contact lens for a while and go for a thorough eyes checkup to ensure their corneas weren't already infected. It's not about being kiasu but being safe rather than sorry. I would think this precautionary measure was only common sense.
But then, common sense may not be so common for some people. Last week, more cases of Fusarium keratitis infections were reported. Some of these cases were due to the contact lens wearers decided to finish the remaining ReNu solution before switching brands. Ok, i'm restraining myself from calling these people
I wear contact lens, since i was in college more than 10 years ago (ok, so i'm old). I know that contact lens wearers have higher risks of contracting eye diseases or infections because the lens touches the cornea directly. As a person who's so vain, i'm willing to take this risk in exchange of looking nicer without glasses. Ok, ok, i know, if a person is indeed pretty, she will look good regardless, with or without glasses. Alright, i get it. Let's just say that i look good in glasses, but even better without, ok?!
I recognize the increased risks, and always do my best to follow the proper lens-care procedure. I always clean my hands before handling the lenses; i always clean the lenses before storing them; i always clean the lens case with saline solution or even multipurpose solution; i always discard remaining solution if i couldn't finish it within the permitted time (e.g one month for saline solution); i never sleep without removing my contact lenses; i avoid wearing the lenses when my eyes are tired and during my menstrual cycle; i never use the lenses beyond their permitted lifespan (sometimes i change a new pair even before the one-month period ends). Last year, i even decided to start doing a yearly eye checkup to ensure that any infections could be detected early.
Yes, wearing contact lenses can be expensive, both in terms of money and the time needed for the extra care in handling the lenses. I believe this is the price i need to pay for wanting to look pretty. It's the same thing as taking care of your face. If you want good complexion, you gotta invest in good facial care product and visit a beauty salon once in a while. Unless you are born with perfect skin, most people do need to spend money in maintaining the looks, especially when age is catching up. The same applies to our eyes. If we don't have perfect eyesight, and we wanna wear contact lenses instead of glasses because of looks or whatever reasons, then there bound to be a price for it.
Aside from unforseeable incidents such as the recent outbreak of the fungal corneal infections, it really baffles me when i read in the news sometimes about cases of eyes infections that arise from careless use, such as using saliva or pipe water to clean the lenses, sleeping without removing the lenses, using the lenses or solution beyond their recommended time span, or continue using solution that has possible danger despite warning from authoritative organizations. What were these people thinking? Over thrifty or plain lazy? Seriously, if we can't afford the money and time to take extra care in using contact lenses, we should just stick to wearing glasses then.
I had, in fact, considered doing the laser refractive eye surgery (e.g. LASIK) to correct my vision. The surgery costs over thousand dollars, but it supposedly restores good vision and promises a life free of glasses and contact lenses. Considering the money that's gonna be spent for many years to come on glasses, contact lenses, contact lens solutions, etc., the surgery may actually be cheaper in comparison. I had almost decided to do it, until i came across a site of a guy who told his story of LASIK surgery. I know the success rate is high, and such cases may be rare, but still, there's a chance that i may be the unlucky one and end up like that guy with so many problems after the surgery. I've always admitted that i'm a timid person who's risk-averse. Contact lens related eye infections can mostly be treated (if detected early) or healed by stop wearing contact lenses, but LASIK procedure is irreversible and the consequences may be too grave. The possible complications of the surgeries are too much a risk for me to take.
While i'm following the news on the cases of Fusarium keratitis, i'm also taking my own precautionary measures, even though i hadn't used ReNu solution before. After all, it still can't be proven that ReNu solution was indeed the culprit in this recent outbreak. Not all reported cases were contact lens wearers or used ReNu solution (source: CNN), and the lenses and lens cases were found to be contaminated with Fusarium even when the solutions remain sterile (source: Associated Press). The experts even went as far as theorized that the tsunami and hurricanes may be contributing factors to an unprecedented mold levels in the environment.
It's always scary when there's a disease of unknown cause. So i'm gonna dispose the pair of contact lenses i'm wearing now, which were monthly disposable lenses (manufactured by Bausch and Lomb) that i had only started using on 1-Apr, and switch to using daily disposable lenses instead. Yes, i know that the best option for now is still stop wearing contact lenses altogether. I've already reduced the frequency of wearing it unless necessary, such as when i go golfing.
Labels: opinion
