Lenses & Eyecare: How to Not Destroy Your Eyes for Fashion

[Disclaimer]: This post is not sponsored and will be my 100% honest opinion based on personal experience and research which will be credited to cited sources. I am not an eyecare specialist so please be sure to see a professional first before you purchase and use any type of lenses.

Hello angels. Today I am going to talk about some general lens and eyecare. You may recall that I had written a similar post like this in the past, which you can find here. I was going to go back and edit that but I feel like a fresh post might be a more efficient way to go.

We have a lot to cover today so please bear with me. I will try to be as succinct and straightforward as possible! I apologize that there might not be as many images in this post as, understandably, some of the stuff that's going to be covered is pretty gross so I'll leave it up to your imagination lol

Also just in case you missed the disclaimer, I am not an expert or professional on this matter, however I will do my best to cite reputable sources and provide you with quick access to some of the most useful information I can find regarding this topic.

The Anatomy of Your Eyes

I'm going to really quickly tell you a little bit about the anatomy of the eye and how each part works. This will serve as a basis for the discussion going forward when we move on to talk about risks and damage stemming from improper lens/eye care & use. 

I'll also try to use some less realistic images in case some of you are a bit squeamish. Please bear in mind that for the purpose of this post I am going to be as simplistic as possible so that this can be more easily understood by a wider audience.

image source

• Retina: the layer of cells lining the back wall inside the eye. It senses light and sends signals to the brain so that you can see (source)
• Iris: the colored part of your eye; controls the amount of light that enters into your eye (source)
• Pupil: the opening within the iris where light passes through to reach the lens (source)
• Cornea: the clear outer layer at the front of the eye which helps focus light so you can see clearly (source)
• Lens: located in the eye, the lens changes the focal distance of the eye; focuses the light rays that pass through it onto the retina in order to create clear images of objects that are positioned at various distances (source)
• Sclera (not pictured in the diagram): the white part of your eye 
• Conjunctiva (not pictured in the diagram) : the membrane that lines the eyelid and loops back to cover the sclera (source)

How Your Eye Breathes

Now that we understand some of the key parts that make up our eyes, let's talk about how your eye breathes. The cornea does not have any blood vessels (except near the edges) so in order for your eye to "breathe" it needs oxygen from the surrounding air (source). This is important because when you wear contact lenses you are covering your cornea, which limits the airflow your eyes can get and can therefore lead to problems and complications. I'll get to that later.

The takeaway here is that your eyes breathe on their own. In order to do this with a lens on top, it relies on the water content of your lens. The oxygen diffuses through the water in the lens itself so that's why lenses with a high water content are often recommended.

What is Water Content in Lenses?

This basically means how much of the lens is made up of water and it is denoted as a percentage. The higher the water content the more oxygen reaches the cornea while you're wearing the lens so this is why it is a more highly recommended material. 

This concept though is not applied in lenses made with silicone hydrogel materials as lenses made with these materials will let your eyes breathe much more easily regardless of the water content.

Most lenses are made from soft plastics called hydrogels which absorb a large amount of water to keep the lens soft. The absorbing power of the material is also known as water content. (source)

Types of Soft Contact Lens Materials

Soft contacts nowadays are made of 2 types of materials: hydrogel or silicone hydrogel. You can get colored contacts in either of these materials but you will more commonly see circle lenses and cosplay lenses made with hydrogel. (source)

Hydrogel Lenses

The main hydrogel material used for these lenses is usually called "poly-HEMA" (sometimes also called by the generic name polymacon). The amount of oxygen that passes through this type of lens depends on the water content, as mentioned previously. The higher the water content in these types of lenses, the more oxygen your eyes will get.

These are going to be your cheap and vibrant cosplay/circle lenses. You'll get lots of fun and crazy designs but at the cost of breathability and a higher risk for infections.

Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

This material is more breathable and the amount of oxygen that passes through does not depend on the water content of the lens but rather the amount of silicone used in creating the lens.

You can still get colored lenses with this material but they won't be nearly as vibrant or intricate in design as hydrogel lenses. This material offers better durability, better comfort for extended wear and higher breathability. 

The downside is that some older lenses made with this material may be stiffer and less flexible than hydrogel lenses. You are also at higher risk for giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC), which is an allergic reaction in the inner part of the eyelid, though this is not a concern in newer silicone hydrogel lenses that come in monthly or daily disposables. These are also usually a bit pricier than hydrogel lenses.

The Risks

Alright so without going into horrific detail about how many things can go wrong, I'm just going to list some possible things that could happen to you and what they are. Again I won't include pics cause some of this stuff is really gross but you'll get the idea from reading about them.

Hypoxia

Occurs when the cornea doesn't get enough oxygen. Happens most commonly when you wear contacts for a long time. It causes your cornea to swell which causes hazy or blurred vision and can lead to other more serious complications over time. (source)

Infection

The good ol' burning, itching, redness, irritation, sensitivity and pain combo. This can lead to corneal ulcers, and if serious enough you may need surgery or just lose your whole eye. Happens when wearing dirty lenses for a long time. (source)

Superficial Keratitis

This is the irritation of the outermost layer of the cornea which can be caused by mechanical irritation, infection, allergies, lens care solutions, or a combination of these. You'll often get pain, scratchiness or the feeling of something being in your eye. This is often caused by lenses that don't fit properly but can be caused by other factors as well like duration of wear. (source)

Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis (GPC)

This one is really gross and was mentioned in my previous post. Essentially the inside of your eyelid gets swollen and irritated and develops bumps that could grow to the size of a pimple. It'll feel like something is stuck in your eye, and you'll have red painful & itchy eyes. It will also feel like your contact lens is moving up your eyeball when you blink and it causes your eye to produce excess mucus which makes your vision blur.

It is caused by either an allergy to your lens material or the lens solution you are using. It is also caused by the lens rubbing up against the eyelid constantly and the deposits of proteins/other substances on the lenses. 

This one if left untreated/gets severe enough, could cause you to be unable to wear any type of lens ever again. (source)

How Can I Safely Get Into Wearing Lenses?

Now that we've covered all of the grossness and the science, let's get to the part that you really want to know. This is in order of what you should do by the way.

1. ⚠ GO SEE AN EYECARE PROFESSIONAL ⚠

This is not a request, literally all of your problems can be solved by seeing a professional. Step one (1) of getting into anything is to get professional input. In this case you want a full eye exam and lens fitting. Even if you do not require a prescription, you still need to get a professional fitting because not all eyes are created the same (ex: some eyes are more curved than others). 

Improper fitting lenses can cause scratches, discomfort, some of the disgusting things I listed in the risks section above, etc.

2. Know the difference between a contact solution and saline solution

Your eye doctor can tell you this when you go to see them, but I'll just note down some key differences here for you. (source)

Contact solution: commercially prepared chemical solution for cleaning and disinfecting your lenses. These will remove buildup on your lenses without scratching them and will keep them moist. You can store your lenses in this when you are not using them to keep them sterile and hydrated.

Saline solution: a pH-balanced saltwater solution that can be used to rinse off your lenses before wearing them. This does not have any cleaning agents so it will not clean or disinfect your lenses.

Nowadays you don't need to own both of these, there are multipurpose solutions you can buy, however this may not be the best approach for all lens users. Please consult your eyecare professional about the best setup for your eyes.

Remember to always throw out your old solution and never reuse (aka don't take your lenses out of the case and leave the solution in there for later, seriously why would you do this?) 🤡

3. Research Your Lenses Before Buying

Go and read the description of the lens you are trying to buy and make sure that all the specifications suit your needs (material, water content, base curve, diameter, etc).

4. Clean Your Lenses Before Wearing

Please do not wear the lenses straight out of the packaging. Yes they're stored in a sterile solution but the reality is that you don't really know what it is. The best practice here is to clean them first/give them a rinse in saline before putting them into your eye to prevent infection, etc just in case. You should do this for dailies just to be safe.

5. Clean & Change Your Lens Cases Often

You are going to want to disinfect your lens cases often, especially if you are reusing them for other lenses. There are a number of ways to do this, I've seen people straight up boil their lens cases. How you choose to do this is up to you, just use google.

It is recommended that you change your storage cases once every 1-3 months. (source)

6. Do Not Wear The Same Pair of Lens for a Year

You are probably going to see some lenses with an annual/yearly disposable on them. Please don't wear them for a year straight. This is actually not regulated properly and no eyecare professional would recommend you do this even with proper cleaning/care. If you do happen to get these types of lenses, probably don't wear them more than 3-6 months tops. When in doubt, throw it out. Don't risk your eye health over $15 lenses.

I hope this was helpful and informative. Again, I am not a professional so if you have any question or concerns please go see your eye doctor and ask the directly. You can also look up all the things I mentioned here in detail on google or go to the source pages that I linked.

Please share this and keep your eyes healthy. Remember it is never worth it to risk your eye health for fashion. You only get one set of eyes and vision is so precious.

See you next time! 💖