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Did you know this week is Contact Lens Health Week? This weeklong event is organized annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other partners as a way to promote proper contact lens use for everyone from children to adults. This is the fourth year of the event, and the theme is “healthy habits mean healthy eyes.”
The primary focus this year is to encourage children and teenagers to start healthy contact lens habits now so they will have healthy eyes later in life. The event, which runs from Aug. 21 through 25, is focusing on three key areas:
- Proper hygiene habits for contact wearers to help prevent eye infections
- Correct care, storage, and use of contact lenses
- Yearly eye care check-ups
By promoting Contact Lens Health Week, the CDC hopes to see a decrease in eye infections among the estimated 45 million people who wear contacts in the U.S. Eye infections often occur when contact lens wearers fail to follow proper care and use guidelines, which is what prompted the CDC to host this event in the first place and is why the organization is targeting youth over adults. According to studies that analyzed behaviors of contact lens wearers, youth between the ages of 12 and 17 were more likely to exhibit risky behaviors that can lead to eye infections, including sleeping or swimming in contact lenses, failing to replace lenses when needed, and improper storage. The CDC hopes to encourage youth to form new, healthier contact lens habits aimed at protecting their eye health into adulthood.
Read more on page two!
