CONTACT LENSES

CONTACT LENSES

                      Contact lenses are worn by almost everyone these days.  Wearing them help us fell better as the beauty of it may caught the others sight thus increase our confident level. Being confident is really important in order for us to perform in anything that we do. Technically, contact lenses can be defined as small devices made with curved pieces plastic shaped in a way to conform directly and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. People choose to wear contact lenses for many reasons. The concerned of beauty and cosmetics are often motivating factors for people who would like to avoid wearing glasses or would like to change the appearance of their eyes. Contact lenses come in various colours and designs for the easy of the wearer to choose. Some people wear contact lenses for visual reasons. When compared to the spectacles, contact lenses typically provide better peripheral vision and do not collect moisture from surrounding like sweat, rain, snow and condensation. Since contact lenses have become a new trend for the eye facade, they become a high expectation business. It has been one of the popular in online business project. A study of Business School of London shown that in 2004, it was estimated that 125 million people (2%) use contact lenses worldwide, including 28 to 38 million in the United States. In 2010, worldwide contact lens market was estimated at $6.1 billion, while the U.S. soft lens market is estimated at $2.1 billion. Some have estimated that the global market will reach $11.7 billion by 2015.  

                       The history of contact lenses begins with the idea of Leonardo da Vinci who invents contact lenses in 1508.  But it was more than 300 years later before contact lenses were actually fabricated and worn on the eye.  In the 1887, German glassblower F.A. Muller used Herschel's ideas to create the first known glass contact lens.  These heavy glass lenses covered the entire front surface of the eye and could be tolerated for only a few hours of wear.  In 1936, New York Optometrist William Feinbloom introduced the use of plastic in contact lens manufacturing.  Feinbloom's lenses had a central portion made of glass that covered the cornea and a peripheral band of plastic that covered the sclera.    In 1948, California optician Kevin Tuohy began manufacturing contact lenses made completely of plastic.  Later the same year, Oregon improved Tuoy's lens design, adding flatter peripheral curves to the lens so it would not pop off so easily. Throughout the 1950s, hard plastic lenses were made smaller and thinner, evolving into hard lens designs that are still used today. In the late 1950s, Czechoslovakian chemist Otto Wichterle and his assistant Dr. Drahoslav Lim began to experiment with methods to produce contact lenses using a soft, water-absorbing plastic called hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). In 1961, using his son's erector set and parts from a bicycle, Dr. Wichterle created the prototype of a spin-casting machine and used it to produce the world's first soft contact lenses.  Dr. Wichterle's work later resulted in the introduction of the first commercially available soft contact lenses by Bausch & Lomb in 1971. Because they are thinner and more comfortable than hard contact lenses, the introduction of soft lenses enabled thousands more people to become successful contact lens wearers.  

                   There are 3 major types of contact lenses which can be categorized by their own function. Firstly, corrective contact lenses are designed to improve vision. For many people, there is a mismatch between the refractive power of the eye and the length of the eye, leading to a refraction error. A contact lens neutralizes this mismatch and allows for correct focusing of light onto the retina. Conditions correctable with contact lenses include myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and presbyopia. For those with certain color deficiencies, a red-tinted "X-Chrom" contact lens may be used. Although the lens does not restore normal color vision, it allows some colorblind individuals to distinguish colors better. Next is cosmetic contact lens that is designed to change the appearance of the eye. These lenses may also correct refractive error, but some blurring or obstruction of vision may occur as a result of the color or design. As with any contact lens, cosmetic lenses carry risks of mild and serious complications, including ocular redness, irritation, and infection. Theatrical contact lenses are a type of cosmetic contact lens that are used  in the entertainment industry to make the eye appear altered, most often in horror movies. Scleral lenses cover the white part of the eye sclera and are used in many theatrical lenses. Due to their size, these lenses are difficult to insert and do not move very well within the eye. As a result they generally cannot be worn for more than 3 hours as they can cause temporary vision disturbances. Lastly, therapeutic contact lenses which is used in the treatment and management of non-refractive disorders of the eye. A bandage contact lens protects an injured or diseased cornea from the constant rubbing of blinking eyelids thereby allowing it to heal.  

                    Now, let us look at some of the advantages that contact lenses offer over glasses. Firstly, it makes us feel that we are having natural vision as they are worn right on the cornea of the eye. The objects appear in the correct size and position, without any distortion. The distance between the eye and the glasses can vary, causing the objects to appear larger or smaller than they actually are. The second is, contact lenses are not affected by quick body movements, such as in sports and similar activities, and remain in place, providing clear and stable vision. Eyeglasses are unstable on your face when running, making your vision unstable, affecting your performance. Thirdly, contacts give you a wider and better peripheral vision that glasses. Contact lenses move along with your eyes and you are always looking through the clearest part of the lens where we call the optic zone. On the other hand, the frames of the glasses block your peripheral vision, and when you move your eyes to the side, you are no longer looking through the optical center, causing blurred and distorted vision.

Contact lenses also are quite comfortable to wear as they do not pinch your nose, or rub or press against your ears and temple, unlike glasses, which, in addition, slide down your nose when you perspire. In addition, contact lenses have been a boon for children in one particular sense. They do not get picked on at school by their friends. This relieves them from the psychological and physical traumas related to wearing glasses. 

                     Everything that comes with goodness may also have the badness. First of all, one of the disadvantages of wearing contact lenses is they are meant to be worn for fixed periods of time. Exceeding the period of wear can cause many problems to the user. The first signs of any side effects could be excessive scratching, itchiness and the fact that you suddenly want to just take them off! Initially, one might feel that they have added some irritating element to their eye, but as time goes on, people tend to get used to it. The solutions used to store the contacts over night have to be bought at regular intervals as they keep the contacts clean and devoid of dirt or bacteria. These solutions, if not used, could lead to infection and make the eye excessively scratchy and stingy. But even if you do use a solution to keep your contacts clean, your eyes are always prone to infection if you’re not careful enough. Swelling of the eye can also be a common side effect, as wearing lenses cannot suit every one during their first lens trial. Watery eyes can be a day to day affair while wearing contacts. The same contacts should never be used by more than one person, as this can cause infection of all second hand users to a massive extent. Drying up of the eyes is another common side effect. If something gets stuck in your eye, there could be nothing worse. The irritation it causes could get you into a fit. If you don’t wash your eyes regularly and rinse them out, you start to experience the rippling effect, which is having excessive bags under your eyes due to dryness. One may think that this is due to lack of sleep or an allergy, but it is due to the internal happenings in the eye. 

                   To avoid those risks, we should take precaution step as people always said prevent is better than cure. So, here are the tips on how to handle with contact lenses. Basically, contact lenses wearers must usually take their contact lenses out every night or every hour depending on the quality, brand and style of the contact. Before touching the contact lens or one's eyes, it is important to thoroughly wash and rinse hands with a soap that does not contain moisturizers or allergens such as fragrances. The soap should not be antibacterial due to risk of improper hand washing and the possibility of destroying the natural bacteria found on the eye. The technique for removing or inserting a contact lens varies slightly depending upon whether the lens is soft or rigid. In all cases, the insertion and removal of lenses requires some training and practice on the part of the user, in part to overcome the instinctive hesitation against actually touching the eyeball with one's fingertip. The various soft contact lenses available are often categorized by their replacement schedule. The shortest replacement schedule is single use (1-day or daily disposable) lenses which are disposed of each night. Shorter replacement cycle lenses are commonly thinner and lighter, due to lower requirements for durability against wear and tear, and may be the most comfortable in their respective class and generation. These may be best for patients with ocular allergies or other conditions because it limits deposits of antigens and protein, and is considered the healthiest wear schedule due to the most frequent replacement. 

                     Now, here are the tips before buying contact lenses. First, ignore your preconceived ideas about which source is cheaper or better, and be prepared to evaluate a variety of offline and online sources. Second, focus on value, not just price. With any type of purchase, most people who are "looking for the best price" really are looking for the best overall value. This is especially important when purchasing contact lenses, where a combination of products and professional services is involved. Evaluate all your options, including optical stores, mass merchants, Internet sites and your eye doctor. Don't automatically assume that any one of these will be cheaper. Don’t assume that any seller who is less expensive for a particular lens will be less expensive for all lenses. Ask about rebates. And no matter where you buy, visit the lens manufacturer's website to see if a rebate is being offered that the seller didn't tell you about. Remember also to check your health insurance plan to see if you have vision benefits that get you a better price. Do the math when you order online. Some websites might be deceptive when totaling your order and might hide shipping or handling charges. After a head-to-head comparison of lens prices, look at things like shipping (for online purchases), gasoline (if you're making a special trip to a brick-and-mortar store), and the value of your time.  Price is only one component; also consider availability, convenience, customer service, and bundled products and services. Lastly, read the small print on ads and coupons. Sometimes a minimum purchase is required to qualify for discounts and shipping and handling fees might increase your overall cost. 

                    Contact lenses wearer must take a really good care of the contact lenses. While daily disposable lenses require no cleaning, other types require regular cleaning and disinfecting in order to retain clear vision and prevent discomfort and infections by various microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, and Acanthamoeba, that form a biofilm on the lens surface. There are a lot of products that are used to clean contact lenses, like multipurpose solutions – The most popular cleaning solution for contact lenses; these are suitable for rinsing, disinfecting, cleaning and storing lenses, and in most cases eliminate the need for protein removal enzyme tablets. Newer generations of multipurpose solutions are effective against bacteria, fungi, and acanthamoeba and are designed to condition the lenses while soaking. Next is Saline solution – Used for rinsing the lens after cleaning and preparing it for insertion. Saline solutions do not disinfect. Enzymatic cleaner – Used for cleaning protein deposits off lenses, usually weekly, if the daily cleaner is not sufficient. Typically, this cleaner is in tablet form. Protein deposits make use of contact lenses uncomfortable, and may lead to various eye problems. Lastly, Ultraviolet, vibration or ultrasonic devices – Used to both disinfect and clean contact lenses. The lenses are inserted inside the portable device (running on batteries and/or plug-in) for 2 to 6 minutes during which both the microorganisms and protein build-up are thoroughly cleaned. Saline solution is typically used as multi-purpose solutions are not necessary. These devices are not usually available in optic retailers but are in some electro-domestic stores. Water alone will not adequately disinfect the lens, and can lead to lens contamination and has been known in some cases to cause irreparable harm to the eye. Proper lens cleaning is important in warding off biofilm formation. 

                          Islam point of view of wearing contact lenses. Basically, anything that women do to attract the attention of the non-muhrim guy can be concluded as haram. It goes same thing with wearing contact lenses. Whatever it is, it depends on the intention. 

Umar bin Alkhatthab r.a. says, "I have heard the Messenger of Allah said," Indeed, a charity that depends on faith. Assessment for every person is on what his intention.So whoever emigrated (from area to area Muslims infidels) solely because obedient to Allah and the Prophet, then the migration is accepted by Allah and the Prophet. Instead he moved for the world,who pursued, or for women who are married, then the incumbent depends on what his intention about when moving to a place. "

(Bukhari, Muslim).

If a woman's purpose is to attract attention and nature of fraud. In that case, wearing colored contact lenses are prohibited. ”Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, Imam and Religious Director at Islamic Center of Toronto, said: "Sharia covers man problem through three divisions, dharuriyat (cannot live without it), hajiyyat (needs) and tahsiniyat (to improve).  There is nothing wrong wearing contact lenses in intention to correct the problem of eye-vision. But, when it comes to coloured cosmetic contact lenses: these come under the rulings on adornment. If a woman wears them for her husband, there is nothing wrong with it. If she is wearing them where others will see her too, then it should not cause any fitnah or temptation. There is also the condition that they should not cause any harm, and there should be no element of cheating or deceiving, such as a woman wearing them when she meets the man who is proposing marriage to her. Also, they should not be extravagantly expensive, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and waste not by extravagance…” [al-An’aam 6:141]. 

                       Personally, after doing this research, I think that contact lenses are on the natural side. I would not say that it brings harm, and not to say it brings benefit for us. It depends on the way we care and handle it. But, recently, a friend of mine when contact lenses that she wore suddenly moving by itself to the back side of the eye which is cannot be sees. As the result, she needs an operation. This concludes that wearing contact lenses invites risk. So, the wearer should always bear in their mind that they are wearing contact lenses and should be aware of it.