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People who wear reusable contact lenses are nearly four times as likely as those wearing daily disposables to develop a rare sight-threatening eye infection. The case control study identifies multiple factors that increase the risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), including reusing lenses or wearing them overnight or in the shower. AK is one type of microbial keratitis (corneal infection)—a condition that results in inflammation of the cornea (the eye's clear protective outer layer). Sight loss resulting from microbial keratitis is uncommon but Acanthamoeba, although a rare cause, is one of the most severe and is responsible for about half of...

The lenses, which were described as a "blueish mass", were causing her discomfort that she attributed to dry eye and old age, British media reported after the case was published in the British Medical Journal on Jul 5. Eye specialists initially discovered 17 lenses "bound together by mucus", before a further examination revealed that another 10 lenses were stuck in the eye. Rupal Morjaria, a specialist trainee ophthalmologist who dealt with the case at Solihull Hospital near Birmingham, reportedly said: "We were really surprised that the patient didn’t notice it because it would cause quite a lot of irritation while...

Japan’s ‘kawaii’ culture of cute is now on offer for your eyeballs. The country’s obsession with Hello Kitty has already spawned toasters, vacuum cleaners, and waffle makers all bearing the mouthless feline’s likeliness. But now, a far more superior product has come along. Enter: Hello Kitty contact lenses.

Has anyone been experiencing difficulties with "Acuvue" contacts that are now made in China?I ask that question because I have worn Acuvue Daily Wear contacts for many years with relative ease. That is, until about three years ago when I began experiencing quite a bit of difficulty with irritation and some infections.At first I had attributed my problems to allergies and dry eyes. Later I learned that a product I had received, "Renew" contact solution had been recalled by FDA as causing or contributing to eye infections.I threw out my bottle and was relieved and went back to using my...

An argument over eye exams is simmering between optometrists and contact lens sellers. And Internet shoppers and investors do not like what they see. In December, President Bush signed the Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act, which, among other things, required eye doctors to give prescription information to their patients. Many optometrists had previously refused to do this, to prevent their customers from fleeing to discount contact lens sellers, many of them online. By itself, the provision would have been a boon to discount contact lens sellers like Drugstore.com's Vision Direct and 1-800 Contacts, which lost huge numbers of customers...