Dr. Grossman’s Blog

An increase in the use of contact lenses may be making ulcers of the cornea twice as common.  A study of over a million Californians showed that people who wore contact lenses were 9 times more likely to suffer from corneal ulcers.

Researcher Dr. David Gritz of Montefiore Medical Center in New York told Reuters Health: “As new contact lens innovations become available, and people hear that they can wear these contact lenses for weeks or a month without taking them off, they do just that. They don’t realize the dramatic increase in risk it causes them. Our eyes do need breaks from contact lens wear.”  He went on to say, “Contact lenses can even act as a bandage over eye irritation, covering up symptoms.”

People infected with HIV were also nine times more likely to develop the condition than those who were HIV negative.

Follow our Vision Wellness Protocol and prevent ulcers of the cornea and other eye conditions by taking care of your entire body.

Recurrent erosion syndrome (RES) refers to repeated episodes of superficial spontaneous abrasions that cause eye pain. Erosions are “scratches” on the surface of the cornea. The cornea is more susceptible to scratches when the cells of the outer layer of the cornea are loosely attached to the underlying tissue. Often, there is no identifiable cause for these erosions.

Symptoms include mild to severe eye pain, redness, tearing, and light sensitivity and occasionally blurred vision. Most patients report symptoms after waking. During REM sleep, contact between the moving cornea and the eyelid can cause abrasions.

People who suffered an eye injury in the past, from a fingernail scratch or a paper cut, for example, are more likely to develop RES but the condition can point to an underlying case of  corneal dystrophy.

Source: Digital Journal of Opthamology

For more on how nutrition can promote eye health visit Natural Eye Care.