If you wear contact lenses, it is important that you safely insert and remove them. Failing to do so could result in an infection that could lead to vision loss. One form of infection is bacterial keratitis. To avoid bacterial keratitis, it is important that you understand how it occurs and what you can do to prevent it.
What Is Bacterial Keratitis?
Bacterial keratitis is one of the infections that you can get while wearing contact lenses. The infection occurs in the cornea and can lead to tearing and pain. If you do not receive treatment for the infection, you could permanently lose your vision.
In addition to pain and tearing, you can also experience increased sensitivity to light and have discharge from your eye. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important that you schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. Bacterial keratitis develops quickly which means that time is of the essence if you want to avoid further development of your symptoms.
What Leads to Bacterial Keratitis?
Although poor contact wearing practices is one of the causes of bacterial keratitis, it is not the only one. It can also result from using eye medication that is contaminated and corneal disease. You are also more vulnerable to the development of the disease if you have a weakened immune system that is the result of conditions such as diabetes and alcoholism.
Your eye doctor can screen you and determine if you are at an increased risk of developing bacterial keratitis. If so, you can take action to avoid developing the condition.
How Can You Prevent Bacterial Keratitis?
The best way to avoid bacterial keratitis is to follow good hygiene practices when handling your contacts. For instance, always wash your hands and dry them thoroughly before touching your contacts. In addition to this, you can also:
- Avoid sleeping in contacts.
- Sterilize your contacts after each use.
- Replace your contacts according to your eye doctor's recommended schedule.
- Remove your contacts when swimming.
- Handle your contacts gently to avoid scratching them.
Your eye doctor might recommend other practices if he or she feels that you have additional risk factors. For instance, if you have diabetes, the doctor might recommend controlling your blood sugar levels.
You should never dismiss signs of eye trouble, because they could be more serious than you think. If you have any of the symptoms of bacterial keratitis or any other problems, call an eye doctor like Dr Ron Sealock for an examination.
Share
