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Did you know that using contact lenses for a long time can make your corneas thinner and more sensitive?
In today's society, contact lenses have become the first choice for vision correction for many people. However, long-term use of contact lenses hides potential health risks. Studies have shown that long-term contact lens wear can have adverse effects on the cornea, which may make it thinner, more sensitive, and even affect vision.
Contact lenses can change the structure of the cornea, causing various health problems. Long-term users need to pay special attention to these changes.
Functional and structural changes of the cornea
The impact of long-term contact lens wear on the cornea has been widely explored in multiple studies. Studies have found that the use of contact lenses can cause structural changes such as corneal thickness, curvature, sensitivity and cell density, and similar trends have been found in these changes among different types of contact lens users.
A major reason is that contact lenses restrict oxygen from entering the cornea during wearing, causing chronic hypoxia, which further affects the health of the cornea.
The impact of structural changes
Studies have pointed out that long-term use of soft contact lens wearers will reduce the oxygen uptake of the corneal epithelium, which may also lead to a reduction in the thickness of the epithelium and stroma. After long-term use, it is even found that the number of vacuoles and microvesicles in the epithelial cavity increases. The appearance of these microvesicles usually increases with the increase of wearing time.
The hypoxic environment caused by contact lenses will promote the formation of microvesicles and vacuoles, further reducing the health of the cornea.
Functional changes
In addition to structural effects, long-term contact lens wearers may also experience functional changes, such as a significant reduction in corneal sensitivity. Some scholars have pointed out that this may be because the contact lens has been attached to the cornea for a long time, causing the nerve endings involved in these sensations to become insensitive.
In addition, long-term wearing of contact lenses may also cause uncomfortable symptoms such as blurred vision and light sensitivity. These problems are usually related to hypoxia and chronic irritation of the eyeballs.
Reversible effects
Fortunately, these changes caused by long-term contact lens wear are not irreversible. Studies have shown that after stopping wearing contact lenses, corneal oxygen uptake and thickness can return to normal levels within a short period of time, however certain structural changes, such as endothelial cell deformations, may take longer to improve.
Conclusion
As contact lenses become increasingly popular, it is critical that users understand their health effects. Although modern silicone contact lenses have reduced the risks of long-term wear to a certain extent, you still need to be alert to related health problems. For people who wear contact lenses for a long time, it is very necessary to know whether their eye health has changed in a timely manner. Are you ready to pay attention to the health of your eyes?
