Am I an Ideal Candidate for Contact Lenses?

You might have been told earlier that you are not an ideal candidate for contact lenses.  This is nothing to however panic about. Contact lenses are constantly evolving & due to the latest innovations you can always try with new brands of contact lenses even if they had been a bad experience previously. Certain medications & medical conditions do restrict you wearing contact lenses such as allergies & using OCPs (Oral contraceptive pills. They might negatively affect contact lens tolerance. Yet, the endless opportunities allow you to switch between the brands in order to find the best match for your eyes.

People with certain medical conditions such as astigmatism, or dry eyes syndrome can improve their symptoms by effective management with contact lenses. Yes, it might be difficult; but being difficult does not mean being “impossible”. People with dry eyes can try wearing circle lenses with 48%- 55% water content and see if it makes any positive difference. Dry eyes include symptoms like gritty, scratchy or burning sensation on wearing contact lenses which can be reduced with medicated eye drops that are compliant to use with contact lenses.

People suffering from Astigmatism can wear Toric contact lenses. With latest advancements, contact lenses for complex ocular impairments have been engineered. With collaboration of Google, Novartis & Alcon Pharmaceuticals a new type of smart contact lenses for diabetics are being engineered. Furthermore, contact lenses for age-related macular degeneration will also be launched in near future to help elderly people zoom in and out with just a wink of an eye.

Contact lenses have seen huge advancements. The possibilities are endless. You only need to have a valid prescription at hand to get benefited through contact lenses. Also, regular follow-ups are recommended to rule out any underlying or hidden vision threats caused by bacterial accumulation. 

Can Diabetics Wear Circle Contact Lenses?

Circle contacts & diabetes

Diabetes affect entire human body so does it lay effects on eyes. Diabetes alter tear-chemistry and tear-secretion; therefore diabetics may find their eyes dry when wearing circle contact lenses. Circle contact lenses are themselves no contraindication to diabetes thus most of the patients enjoy liberty of wearing circle contact lenses without any adverse effects on eye health. 

Circle Contact Lenses & Handling with Injuries in Diabetics

Diabetics hold a weak history of recovering from injuries. Therefore diabetics who wear circle lenses must not ignore the routine checkups for prescriptions and for avoiding the risks of ocular injuries.

• Diabetics wearing prescription circle contact lenses should get those contacts which allow more oxygen permeability.
• They should also be very meticulous about the cleanliness & hygiene when it comes to circle contact lenses.

Things that Diabetics Wearing Circle Lenses Must Focus On:

• Keep an eye on any kind of ocular complications; be it minor injuries
• Always use eye drops, don’t let them get dry when wearing circle contact lenses.
• Do not ever share your circle contact lenses. Never Ever!
• Do not wear circle contact lenses when working at computers- this can lead to eye strain and stress.

It has been observed that people with controlled diabetes carry no complications with circle contact lenses. However; they are at greater risk of suffering from dryness in eyes.

Also Read: Google’s Smart Contact Lenses for Diabetics

According to Dr. Dubow; “Most people with diabetes can wear contact lenses. They must be properly prescribed and managed to make sure the wearer's eyes stay safe and healthy. This means using the correct lenses, the correct care system and having regular visits with the doctor to monitor eye health and vision”

Diabetes patients can of course wear circle lenses; they only need to be a bit more concerned about their health. Such patients heal slowly than others; they also run the risk of ocular abrasions and infections which should be the areas of strict concern in the life of a diabetic patient. Keep visiting your eye doctor as he is the only one to prescribe you circle contact lenses that do not only properly fit but also provide crisp vision with enhanced comfort and wettability.

References:

Allaboutvision-Ask a Doctor

Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2012 Optometrists Association Australia.

University of IOWA- Hospitals & Clinics

Google & Novartis Collaborates to Develop Smart Contact Lenses for Diabetics

Earlier this year in January, Google revealed its plans for devising smart contact lenses to help diabetic patients calculate their blood sugar level. Google is now closer to put this plan into practice as it finds a Swiss partner to collaborate with. The Alcon eye care unit of Swiss Pharmaceuticals, “NOVARTIS” will license the advanced Google smart contact lenses to address certain medical issues.

Traditionally; diabetic patients have to pin & prick the finger to calculate the blood sugar levels; which is painful, time-consuming & a little bit messy. It is crucial to have the sugar-levels of blood checked regularly & very timely to prevent patient from potential damages of eyes, kidneys & heart. Contradictory to this; Google advanced technology of smart contact lenses would constantly monitor the level of sugar in one’s body through the fluid found in eyes which will then be sent through wireless technology to the user.

"We're now testing a smart contact lens that is built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material," project co-founders Brian Otis and BabakParviz said in a blog post in January when the technology was announced. "We're testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second."

Google’s smart contact lenses’ chips & sensors look like bits of glitters while the embed antenna is thinner than the human hair; as per Google’s elaboration at the “project revelation” earlier this year.

According to Google; the new breakthrough technology of smart contact lenses would even be a miracle for people with presbyopia- an age-related condition where eyes loses the ability of auto-focusing the closer objects. Smart lenses could attempt to correct the vision by restoring the capability of autofocusing through intraocular lens. It would further help blinds to see “some objects”. For instance blinds wearing smart contact lenses with a built-in camera could be able to walk on sidewalks near intersections.

"By combining Alcon's leadership in eye care and expertise in contact lenses and intraocular lenses with Google's innovative 'smart lens' technology and groundbreaking speed in research, we aim to unlock a new frontier to jointly address the unmet medical needs of millions of eye care patients around the world”, Said Alcon division head Jeff George said in a statement.

It is expected that Google’s smart contact lenses would ease lives of 382 million diabetics around the world.