I'm giving up contact lens Options

[centrino]

Wednesday February 22, 2006


Sharp rise in eye infection cases

IT STARTED out as just a pain in his left eye, but within three weeks, Jermaine Tan, 19, needed a cornea transplant to save his sight.

The polytechnic student was one of 10 contact lens users diagnosed with a fungal infection last month, and one of 22 since May last year. This is much higher than the four to six cases a year, including foreign patients, all of whom are usually infected by an injury to the eye.

The director of the Singapore Eye Research Institute and deputy director of the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), Associate Professor Donald Tan, is puzzled by the spike in cases.

The Health Ministry on Monday said the 18 patients it had traced all used Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu multipurpose contact lens solution. They all wore disposable lenses, but they were from different companies and of various types, ranging from daily to monthly disposables.

Of those infected, 13 had used lenses beyond the recommended period, and 11 had slept with the lenses on.

Jermaine, however, had done everything by the book. The third-year Temasek Polytechnic tourism management student said he had been “diligent” in his eye and lens care since switching from spectacles to contact lenses three years ago.

He saw a doctor immediately when he felt a sharp pain in his left eye last month. He was given some eye cream but it did not ease the pain.

So he went to another doctor, who said it was serious and sent him to Changi General Hospital. There, he was given two types of eye drops to apply every half hour.

He was referred to the SNEC when tests confirmed he had a fungal infection. Despite eye drops as well as oral and intravenous medication, his eyesight worsened and only a transplant could save his sight.

“We were in the nick of time with Jermaine,” Prof Tan said.

“The fungi had almost eaten all the way through the cornea. One more day and it could have been too late.”

If Jermaine had not been treated in time, doctors would have had to remove his entire eye to save his life.

For Jermaine, he has recovered about 60% of the sight in his left eye, but his vision remains blurry. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network

[phoenix0115]

ewwwww....yuck...

and remember NEVER to sleep without taking off your contacts...
it'll make yoo blind eventually

[changalator]

Yeah, I prefer glasses.

[GawtxJenny]

why would they sleep with their contacts on?...helloo thats like the main thing the eye doc says to never sleep with them on.

[phoenix0115]

^well...some people get lazy or perhaps they're really tired after getting back home from partying and they sleep with their contacts on

[GawtxJenny]

well then thats waht they get...

[erico]

so don't sleep with your contacts on and don't use ReNu???

[eimi]

eww

[anonymous nguyen...]

I'M DYING TO GET C0NTACT LENSES! GLASSES GETS IN THE WAY T00 MUCH! LIKE WHEN YOU PLAY SP0RTS, KISS, DANCE, ALL THAT G00D STUFF -____-

[StephenDedalusFr...]

Millions of people have contacts. Maybe it has something to do with tropical Singapore facilitating more mold????


I'll be sure to throw away my contacts every month, do not use Renue, and not sleep in them. Thanks for posting this article. I had no idea of the risks.

[FantasyClover]

wait whats wrong with renue?

[phoenix0115]

^yeah...is the Renu theory proven? cuz I use Renu...

if you sleep with your contacts on, your eyes will not get enough oxygen (esp. with your lids shut) and it will deform your cornea

[dan]

yeah, i sleep with my contacts in all the time and always use my contacts longer than i'm supposed to =x guess ill have to stop doing that =\

[Ben]

I only slept with my contacts on a few times in my life. Usually when I'm crashing over at a friend's place. I have contacts which you're suppose to change every two weeks, but I change it every month instead. I figure I only wear them like 5 days a week, I could use it longer than two weeks heh.

I'm not using renu contacts, but I am using renu solutions

[phoenix0115]

^Ben, you gotta dispose your contacts biweekly...every month is wayyyyy too long...

and yeah...the article mentioned they used Renu solution...I don't think they're Renu contacts...

[xcutie]

ewww, that sounds gross.. but seriously, it's common sense that you shouldn't sleep with ur contacts in.

[centrino]

the government here in singapore has advised its people to stop using renu solution.

many opticians have removed the renu solution from their shelves and suspended its sale.

people are advised to use other alternative solution brand instead if they have to.

renu must be suffering a great loss.

better stop using renu temporarily. prevention is better than cure.

[phoenix0115]

^so what's wrong with Renu? What has been proven?

[Lee! OTL ...]

Go spectacles!! !

[xcutie]

^so what's wrong with Renu? What has been proven?

i heard on the radio that there's a problem with Renu's contact lens cleaning solutions.. i'm glad i dont use that brand!

Go spectacles!! !

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