WEARING CONTACT LENSES IN PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAM

WEARING CONTACT LENSES IN PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAM

A contact lens, or simply contact, is a lens placed on the eye. Contact lenses are considered medical devices and can be worn to correct vision, for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. 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. As of 2010, the average age of contact lens wearers globally was 31 years old and two thirds of wearers were female. 

Nowadays, people choose to wear contact lenses for many reasons. Aesthetics 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. Other people wear contacts for more visual reasons. When compared with spectacles, contact lenses typically provide better peripheral vision, and do not collect moisture such as rain, snow, condensation, or sweat. This makes them ideal for sports and other outdoor activities. Additionally, there are conditions such as keratoconus and aniseikonia that are typically corrected better by contacts than by glasses. 

Furthermore, contact lenses, like eyeglasses or LASIK, can correct your long-sightedness, short-sightedness and astigmatism. Among Americans who need vision correction, about 20 percent wear contact lenses. While some people enjoy making fashion statement with eyeglasses, other prefer their appearance without them. Contact lenses can achieve this without irreversible refractive surgery. Contact lenses can also provide a full field of unobstructed vision, which is great for sports. Contact lenses have been around for more than a hundred years. During that time, a lot of advancements have allowed just about everyone to wear contact lenses. If you were told in the past that you couldn't wear contact lenses, odds are that's not true today. There are more convenient and healthy contact lens options than ever. 

There are two types of contact lenses. Firstly, Ophthalmic contact lenses those that are used to correct long-sightedness or short-sightedness. There is nothing wrong with using this kind of contact lenses on the advice of a specialist eye doctor. Secondly, 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, “It is He Who  produces gardens, with trellises and without, and dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and

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pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in variety) : eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loves not the wasters.” [Al-An’am 6:141] 

We are deeply saddened by the trends in modern society which are pushing people in general, and the youth in particular, to do things that are of no benefit and encourage them to consume and spend extravagantly, and cause them to ignore sublime matters and becomes preoccupied with trivia. In principle, it is sufficient for a man to have a little adornment without going to extremes or being extravagant, for man has been created to strive and work and shoulder responsibilities. That does not mean that he should refrain from some permissible types of adornment occasionally, so as to allow himself to rest and relax, so that he can continue to strive and work hard.But the main preoccupation of men and youth should not be adornment and beautification. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade going to extremes in that. Abu Dawood narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade us to be overly concerned with our outward appearance. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in SunanAbiDawood. 

Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “The woman is the one who needs to wear gold, silk and the like, because she needs to beautify herself for her husband. The man is the one who has no need of that because of his manliness and because he should care less about his outward appearance and should focus on his religious and worldly concerns.” 

The corrective contact lenses are designed to improve vision, most commonly by correcting refractive error. This is done by directly focusing the light so that it enters the eye with the proper power for clear vision. Recently, there has been renewed interest in orthokeratology, the correction of myopia by deliberate overnight flattening of the corneal epithelium, leaving the eye without a refractive error during the day.A spherical contact lens bends light evenly in every direction weather horizontally or vertically They are typically used to correct myopia andhyperopia. A toric contact lens has a different focusing power horizontally than it does vertically, and as a result can correct for astigmatism. Some spherical rigid lenses can also correct for astigmatism. Because a toric lens must have the proper orientation to correct for a person's astigmatism, a toric contact lens must have additional design characteristics to prevent the lens from rotating out of the ideal alignment. This can be done by weighting the bottom of the lens or by using other physical characteristics to rotate the lens back into position. Some toric contact lenses have marks or etchings that can assist the eye doctor in fitting the lens. The first disposable toric lenses were introduced in 2000 by Vistakon.this two types of contact lenses are allowed in Islam because it function more to medical purpose. 

Unfortunately, there are a woman wearing a cosmetic type of contact lenses; the enlarged section of the image shows the grain produced during the manufacturing process. Curving of the lines of printed dots suggests these were manufactured by printing onto a flat sheet then shaping it. Cosmetic lenses can be used to drastically alter the appearance of the 

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eye, as seen in the entertainment industry.Scleral lenses that cover the white part of the eye that is sclera, are used in many theatrical applications. These lenses are typically custom made for a specific production and as a result have very limited availability to the general public. As with any cosmetic lens, if the design changes the clarity of the centre of the lens, the lens may interfere with vision. 

Majmoo‘ FataawawaRasaa’ilIbn ‘Uthaymeen (11/60). He also said, “Firstly, we should ask about wearing contact lenses before anything else. There is nothing wrong with prescribed contact lenses that are used to strengthen the vision, because that is something with which Allah has blessed His slaves and made available for them, and they are easier than regular glasses. This is on condition that they do not cause any harm to the eye, even if that is in the future. Secondly, with regard to contact lenses that are worn for adornment, we do not recommend men to wear them, especially young men, unless there is some defect in the pupil of the eye, in which case there is nothing wrong with it, because this is removal of a fault and it is not done to increase beauty. Rather it is a woman who needs beautification as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says “A creature who is brought up in adornments (wearing silk and gold ornaments), and who in dispute cannot make herself clear?” [al-Zukhruf 43:18]. For example women. There is nothing wrong with a woman wearing them for the purpose of beautification on condition that they do not look like the eyes of animals, such as the eyes of cats, rabbits and the like, because resembling animals is not mentioned in the Al-Quran or As-Sunnah except by way of condemnation, as in the verses in which Allah says “So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out” [Al-A’raf7:176]. 

FromLiqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, 182/15, as in the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) concerning the one who takes back his gift: “[he is] like the dog that vomits then goes back to its vomit.” So she should not wear anything that looks like animals’ eyes like Special-Effect Lenses. Also called theatrical, novelty, or costume lenses, special-effect contacts take coloration one step further to make you look like a cat, a vampire, or another alter-ego of your choice. 

In other hand, the classified by material, there are three type of contact lenses. Soft lenses are made from gel-like, water-containing plastics, and are most common. They are a bit larger in size than your iris. Next, GP lenses, also known as RGP or "oxygen permeable" lenses, are made from rigid, waterless plastics and are especially good for presbyopia and high astigmatism. GP lenses are smaller in diameter and often provide sharper vision than soft lenses. Then, hard lenses are made from a rigid plastic material called PMMA that does not transmit oxygen to the eye. These lenses have virtually been replaced by GP lenses and are rarely prescribed today. From the introduction of soft lenses in 1971 until several years ago, most lens brands were made from "hydrogel" plastics. Then silicone hydrogel contact lenses were introduced. They have become the contact lenses of choice for many eye care practitioners, because they allow more oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye, and they are less prone to dehydration. 

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Plus, contact lenses also have it own advantages and disadvantages. Advantages by wearing contact lens are it is comfortable to use for more natural vision. Secondly, It also allows oxygen to penetrate. Thirdly, it is very comfortable for sportsmen. Plus, Thick glasses decrease the side vision in glasses because the power is just at the centre. The frame also decreases the side vision. But this problem is conquered by contact lenses and with contact lenses no annoying obstructions or reflections are in view. Then contact lenses’ disadvantages are the quality full lenses are really expensive. Next, sometime may bring damages and loss without perfect care. Others, without proper care it can be a cause of your eye disease. 

Wearing contact lenses must have a special require special care such as before touching the contact lens or one's eyes, it is important to thoroughly wash & 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. These bacteria keep pathogenic bacteria from colonizing the cornea. 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. 

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 such as multipurpose solution, saline solution, daily cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, and enzymatic cleaner. To keep the cleaning product as clean as possible, and to counteract minor contamination of the product and kill microorganisms on the contact lens, some products contain perspective chemical such as thiomersal, benzalkonium chloride, and benzyl alcohol. In 1989, thiomersal was responsible for about 10% of problems related to contact lenses because of this, many products no longer contain thiomersal. Preservative-free products usually have shorter shelf lives. For example, non-aerosol preservative-free saline solutions can typically be used for only two weeks once opened. The introduction of silicone-hydrogel soft contact lens materials in 1999 made selection of the proper disinfecting solution more important. 

The used of contact lens for eyes during fasting is it fine or not because we know that lens deep in eye clean solution? It is permissible to use contact lenses when fasting, and the fact that they are first placed in a cleansing solution does not matter, because the worst that can happen is that some of this solution leaks into the eye. Thus it is like eye drops, and eye drops do not invalidate the fast, according to the correct scholarly opinion. According to Fiqh al-‘Ibaadaat, page 191, Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is nothing wrong with a fasting person using kohl, or putting drops in his eyes, or putting drops in his ears; even if he notices the taste of that in his throat, that does not invalidate hisfast, because it is not food or drink, and is not like food or drink. The evidence forbids eating and drinking, and that does not include things that are not like food or drink. What we have mentioned is the view favoured by Sheikh al-Islam IbnTaymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and it is the correct view. 

Unfortunately, for individuals who use contact lenses without consulting an optometrist, the risk of eye problem is high. Among the problems faced by consumers can contact lenses is infection, allergy to more chronic, get the risk of blindness. Normally, when buying contact lenses, it will be accompanied by a liquid lens cleaner. Cleaning liquid is so important to ensure that contact lenses are always in a clean condition and can be used safely. Contact lenses that dirty then worn it, it will definitely harm in the eyes of the wearer. Recently, there occurred a case in which the contact lenses wearer was suffering from eye pus in his eyes as a result of the use of contact lenses may not be properly cleaned. Be a serious matter because it has caused injury to the user. 

Complications due to contact lens wear affect roughly 5% of contact lens wearers each year. Excessive wear of contact lenses, particularly overnight wear, is associated with most of the safety concerns. Problems associated with contact lens wear may affect the eyelid, the conjunctiva, the various layers of the cornea, and even the tear film that covers the outer surface of the eye. Studies conducted on side effects from long-term wearing of contact lenses, in example over 5 years, such as by Zuguo Liu et al., 2000,concludes that "Long-term contact lens wear appears to decrease the entire corneal thickness and increase the corneal curvature and surface irregularity." Long-term wear of rigid contact lens is associated with decreased corneal keratocyte density and increased number of epithelialLangerhans cells. Complication on eyelid is ptosis. On conjunctiva are giant papillary conjunctivitis and superior limbic kerato conjunctivitis. 

In conclusion, are allowed to wear contact lenses (colored) as described above because it is not considered cheating because the seer is viewed as an analogy, with the permitted use dressing. Wearing colored contact lenses does not mean changing Allah's creation because it follows the analogy of hair coloring, where the only difference between the two is that the eye is part of the facial hair is allowed to be exposed and not allowed to be disclosed except in front on a mahram and her husband. The similarity between contact lens wear colored and coloring hair coloring process extends only is not considered to change what God has created even if the is against the law to expose the hair in front of people other than family or a mahram. Based on this, colored contact lenses are not in the ornaments of illegal category. And Allah Almighty knows best. 

All of we must remember that Allah have create us the best that we are like in the quranic ayah “We have indeed created man in the best moulds, then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low.” [ Al-Tin 95:4-5 ]