Cornea at Risk: Avoid Applying Makeup & Contact Lenses on the Go

Doctors warn women to avoid applying makeup & contact lenses on the go; as a sudden jolt could lead you to poke your eyes accidentally. Human eyes are resilient but improper handling of contact lenses & poor hygiene practices trigger searing & vision threatening infections.

Speaking ahead of the National Eye Health Week, Dr Blakeney said: “Talking about good make-up hygiene and habits may seem trivial, but we’re keen to encourage people to take some simple steps, such as hand-washing and taking notice of expiry information, that may help minimize potential risks to eye health."

Inserting contact lenses or touching up makeup whilst travelling, carry potential risks & health hazards. Accidental poking triggers Injurious infections, corneal abrasions & permanent vision loss. Contact lenses ensure greater freedom, sense of security and enhanced peripheral vision which actually contributes to reduce the risk of crashes during driving. This being said, there lies no harm wearing contact lenses during driving. What puts you at risk is your ignorance & negligence. Inserting contact lenses or fixing your makeup should not be an option when you drive or are travelling as a passenger.

Whilst travelling, consumers tend to ignore the instructions embedded on the product. Like contact lenses, products like mascara and eye liners also come with an expiry date. This is yet another threat of applying makeup on the go.

If contact lenses are to be fixed- take a pause from whatever you are doing. Disinfect your hands using a disinfectant or a hand sanitizer before putting your lenses in. Wear preventive ocular wear such as shades to help protect eyes from accidental mishaps. Furthermore, doctors recommend using water-soluble-makeup as it reduces the chances of infection. Water soluble makeup agents gets washed away with tears if get into contact with eyes & contact lenses. 

Safety Considerations: Driving with Contact Lenses

Contact lenses ensure wider field vision due to enhanced peripheral sight. Driving with contact lenses is certainly safer than spectacles for several reasons. Ensuring few safety considerations let drivers with impaired vision to stay fearless throughout the journey. A research conducted on “Vision Impairment & Driving” concludes that visual acuity is only weakly related to crashes whereas peripheral vision seems to play a critical role. Thus, it is safe to assume that contact lenses provide greater freedom, sense of safety & convenience during driving.

Safety Tips for Drivers:

1. Circle contacts may turn dry quickly in extreme windy conditions. Car vents; blowing cold or hot air affect circle lens tolerance & may reduce the wearing duration. To prevent eyes from strenuous strain during driving, divert the car vents away from your face.
2. Keep the driver’s side window closed. There should be no direct air pressure on driver’s face or on eyes. Furthermore, in windy atmosphere; air carries pollutants that when get into eyes accumulate over contact lenses and trigger abrupt urge of rubbing eyes. This leaves your circle lenses scratchy and unwearable.
3. In blazing environment, protect your eyes by either wearing UV protection circle contacts or by sun glasses. Sometimes hot air along with sizzling beams of sun, turn lenses hazy due to which vision is temporarily blurred. Wearing UV intercepting eye wear protect eyes from changing environmental conditions.
4. Carry a contact lens traveling kit. In case, lubrication is required due to an annoying sensation of dryness; use re wetting drops to moisten your eyes. Do not drive for minimum of a five minutes after instilling eye drops. Only use contact lens compatible eye drops.

Low vision reduces the driving exposure. Best practice is to start wearing prescription contact lenses for a better peripheral vision & greater independence. Spectacles may fall off on a bumpy ride, keeping your hands engaged and causing diversions. Contact lenses, however prevent fidgeting for a safer driving experience by enabling sharp vision.