Image via WikipediaThe journal Pediatrics, in association with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), released the results of a 2-year study looking at emergency room visits for medical device-associated adverse events in children.

Of all the visits, about 23 percent were associated with contact lens wear. These events included abrasions and ulcers of the cornea and conjunctivitis. While these did not require hospitalization, many could have been prevented.

The most common risk factors for contact lens complications in this study were alteration of the prescribed wearing or replacement schedules and non-compliance with recommended contact lens wear and care regimens. It is well known that improper care, using solutions other than those prescribed, not replacing cases or lenses as prescribed, poor hygiene, buying lenses on the Internet without a valid prescription, and not seeing the eye doctor regularly, all lead to increased risk of complications.

Posted in: Contact lens, Food and Drug Administration