Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands

Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by falcolas on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @09:53AM (#14097662)

Anecdotally, I agree: it can't be that easy. I've worn contacts for most of my life (including while doing competitive swimming, showering, etc), and recently (3 years ago) got into scleral lenses (which included instructions from my optometrist to rinse these contacts in cold water to rid them of preservatives). If the formula really was "tap water and mis-care of contact lenses induces eye infection", I would have been blind before I could vote.

Maybe I'm just that lucky. A shame my lottery tickets disagree.

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by bostonpete on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @01:23PM (#14099739)

> Anecdotally, I agree: it can't be that easy.

Not to be too dismissive about your experiences, but making medical-related decisions based on anecdotal evidence is a really bad idea -- the debate over vaccines is a good example of this IMO.

Have a look at reenw's numerous comments in this thread for references to sources/studies that suggest that it can be that easy...

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by mustacheemperor on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @02:55PM (#14100657)

>if "tap water and mis-care of contact lenses induces eye infection", I would have been blind before I could vote.

Tap water and mis-care of contact lenses induces significantly elevated risks of eye infection. Your lottery ticket comparison is apt, since as the article and some other comments here reflect, you are gambling your sight with this attitude. Same one everyone hears from the guy who doesn't wear glasses while he's running a lathe. The difference being, at least that guy can argue his skill reduces his risk of injury.

Would it be wise to stop looking both ways before crossing the street because the first three times you tried it you weren't struck by a car?

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by falcolas on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @06:01PM (#14102152)

No, but if I haven't been struck in the more than 8,300 times I've done it previously, I might have a more lax attitude. Especially when changing habits also includes a fairly major dollar cost.

All that said, after reading a number of different resources, I am considering such a change.

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by SpikeDad on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @05:18PM (#14101856)

That seems hard to believe that an optometrist would recommend rinsing your lenses with anything other than sterile saline.

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by falcolas on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @05:55PM (#14102121)

They did. Reading through many other resources online, it does seem like a change in regimen would be warranted, however.

A shame, preservative free saline is expensive.

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Re:Blinded after applying contact lenses with wet hands by brianpan on Wednesday April 12, 2017 @01:50PM (#14099985)

Acanthamoeba is an amoeba that lives in the water. So yes, it's tap water plus handling your contacts in the same way that touching a door knob can give you a cold. Just because you've touched door knobs without getting a cold doesn't mean you shouldn't wash your hands.

It's not the lottery, that's how infections work.

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