Borrowed contact lenses get boy, 18, partial blindness

Rahul Mehta (name changed) , 18, stands to lose 30% of his eyesight, says his ophthalmologist, all thanks to the corneal ulcer he contracted after he used somebody’s coloured contact lenses during Navratri.   

City ophthalmologists are worried as more and more youngsters, in a bid to look good during the festive season, tend to borrow coloured contact lenses, which leads to eye infections.

A few days ago, a 16-year-old girl had to undergo a corneal transplant after contracting an infection in her eyes. “She must have put on the lenses not knowing how many other people must have used them before her,” says Dr Hijab Mehta, an  ophthalmologist from Infinity Eye Clinic at Opera House.

Agreeing with him, Dr Arjun Ahuja, head of the ophthalmology department at KEM Hospital in Parel, says, “Youngsters try to match their contact lenses with whatever they wear during the festival. To be economical, they exchange lenses with each other and end up with infections.”

Doctors say eye infections contracted through improper contract lens usage come with symptoms such as red or watery eyes and intolerance towards sunlight.

“Contact lenses are foreign bodies, and so, they should be sterilised properly before being inserted into the eyes, and should also be stored in contact lens solution, not water,” says Dr Nagendra Shah, consulting eye surgeon, Bombay Hospital.

Dr Ahuja says using borrowed lenses is not the only cause of infections. Carelessness such as keeping the lenses on overnight is seen in both short-term and regular contact lens users. “The cornea is very sensitive and wearing contact lenses kept in unhygienic conditions can damage it, leading to loss of eyesight.”

“Even if there is slight redness, wateriness or stickiness in the eyes after wearing contacts, one should immediately go to a qualified doctor,” adds Dr Shah.