The Universe of Eye Care!

Contacts are a popular option for those of us with vision that is far from 20/20. Soft lenses are an ever-increasingly popular accessory for teens and adults alike that have a phobia of eyeglasses or dislike of heavy or unwieldy frames. Athletes are especially biased towards contact lenses since they will not have to deal with the frames potentially slipping off of their noses. Let me share with you a few interesting facts about those small polymer ocular devices that we use daily that enable us to have a normal life.

• The original contact lenses were envisioned in 1508 by none other than the leader of the Ninja Turtles: Leonardo Da Vinci. This famous inventor discovered through experimentation that the corneal power of the eye changed when they were submerged in a bowl of water. Although it was not at all practical, he pioneered the way for further research as tools became more precise throughout the centuries.
• Your tears carry within them oxygen to the cornea! Early rigid contacts were made of glass and did not allow air to pass through to the corneal membrane and were therefore dependent on this method alone. Because of this, the cornea would be deprived of oxygen should the wearer have kept them on at night. Doing so would eventually deprive the eyes of oxygen so much that the eye would be more prone to possible eye infection.
• Your Optometrist requires you to give you your contact lens (and glasses) prescription should you ask for it. Although this may seem like an obvious statement, many Optometrists may not give out this information willy-nilly as many patients will then take that information and buy their own contacts online. Some of these people will then forgo seeing their Doctor because they believe that they already know their eyes well-enough. Please do not take this information for granted! Always visit your Optometrist at least yearly for the sake of your health! It’s one of your primary senses you know.