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Sunday, 8 February 2015
Risking their eye health
BY HARIATI AZIZAN
| Risky business: Contact lens sold by an unauthorised seller at one of the midnight bazaars around Kuala Lumpur. |
PETALING JAYA: With Chinese New Year around the corner, savvy shoppers will look out for the best buys in the latest fashion essentials. But there is one item that may cost them more than they bargain for if purchased without care – cosmetic contact lenses.
Every month, at least one person in the country becomes blind from eye damage and infection caused by contact lens, says the Health Ministry’s Malaysian Optical Council (MOC).
“This is because many are buying contact lenses, especially cosmetic contact lenses, from uncertified sellers at pasar malam, uptown bazaars, beauty shops and even kiosks at the malls. These uncertified sellers cannot give them the right fitting and instructions on how to use their lenses.
“Contact lenses are not one-size-fits-all and not everyone can wear contact lenses. A poor fit or unsuitable type of lens can cause serious eye damage,” warned MOC secretary Nor Azizah Ismail. The correct and safe way is to go for an eye examination and get a prescription before buying any contact lenses. Under the Optical Act 1991, only optometrists and opticians certified by the MOC are licensed to prescribe and dispense contact lenses.
Cosmetic contact lenses, which include coloured lenses, novelty or special effect lenses and circle or “big eyes” lenses (also known as anime lenses), come both with prescription power to correct vision and without power (plano).
A check around town revealed that cosmetic contact lenses with prescription power are being sold at many night market stalls, beauty shops and mall kiosks.
Non-powered cosmetic contact lenses are not covered by the Optical Act 1991, but the Health Ministry is in the process of adding them under the Act, which will allow only certified optometrists and opticians to prescribe and dispense them.
Under the Optical Act, unlicensed contact lens vendors could be fined not less than RM1,000 for the first offence and RM2,000, as well as jail for six months for subsequent offences.
“Consumers who get an eye infection or go blind will have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.
“So, it is important they understand that cosmetic contact lenses, like contact lenses used to correct vision, can pose serious risks to eye health if they are not used properly.
“You should never wear any contact lenses without an eye examination and constant supervision by a certified eye care professional,” said Nor Azizah.
She said that stricter measures to regulate sale would be enforced with the gazetting of cosmetic contact lenses as a medical device under the Medical Devices Act 2012 (Act 737).
“When that is gazetted later this year, all cosmetic contact lenses will have to go through a process of standard assessment and registration before being sold in the Malaysian market.”
The Star
NationHome > News > Nation
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Bad hygiene habits the cause of eye infection
PETALING JAYA: Lack of awareness of the dangers and bad hygiene habits are the main reasons why contact lens users get eye infections, say experts.
“We hear all kinds of horror stories from patients, like cleaning their lenses with saliva, wearing lenses longer than they are supposed to and swapping lenses with friends to try a different colour or pattern,” said the Health Ministry’s Malaysian Optical Council (MOC) secretary Nor Azizah Ismail.
She said that in 2013, the number of patients seeking treatment for corneal ulcer and infections due to contact lens-related complication in government hospitals jumped to almost double the number in 2010.
Although most cases were mild, some were so bad that they needed eye transplant or caused blindness.
She said the worry was that the number of sufferers could be the tip of the iceberg, as the number of cases treated in the private sector was not known.
“I saw between 100 and 200 cases over the last few years, but I think there is a potential for an explosion of cases when you hear of some of the horrifying things users, especially the teens, say they are doing when wearing their contact lenses,” said Dr Michael Law, consultant ophthalmologist and eye surgeon at the International Specialist Eye Centre.
Hygiene is important because the most common contact lens, the soft contact lens, is made of a hydrogel material which is prone to collect dirt or protein deposits, making it an attractive home for bacteria and fungi.
“Acanthamoeba, a parasitic microbe, is in our water and can’t be killed by cholorine. If you leave your case wet with tap water, it can breed on your case or contact lens. When you put the lens on, the amoeba will find a new home in your eyes,” he said.
Though rare, acanthamoeba infection is an extremely painful, sight-threatening condition.
“Young people are the most at risk because they tend to be quite relaxed when it comes to hygiene standards in the use and care of contact lenses,” said Nor Azizah, noting that a majority of patients treated for lens wear complications were under the age of 30.
According to the industry, there were about 1.1 to 1.2 million contact lens users in Malaysia last year, but the hot trend of wearing cosmetic contact lenses that shows no sign of cooling off means the actual number could be growing.
Dr Kenneth Fong, an eye surgeon from the Eye Centre at Sunway Medical Centre, agreed that the number of those vulnerable to the risk could be higher.
“Many of the young patients I’ve seen say they are influenced by trends. If they see their friends doing it, they want to follow. But their budget may be smaller, so they focus on cheaper products from unreliable sources,” he said.
He advised them to get a proper eye check and prescription before buying contact lenses, especially those following the “big eyes” lens trend.
Such lenses, which cover the whites of the eye to make the irises appear bigger, can cause a serious infection if they are poorly fitted, he said.
“If your lenses are too tight, your eyes will not get enough oxygen. If they are too loose, they will fall off and your eyes might get scratched or cut in the process, opening you up to infection.”
The Star
NationHome > News > Nation
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Optometrists: Youngsters not seeing the dangers of cosmetic lenses
PETALING JAYA: “For sale: 90-day contact lenses, still new, used only once.”
It’s true what they say – these days, you can buy almost anything online. According to one anime enthusiast, Rosie, it is common for Cosplay fans here to put up their contact lenses for sale on social media after using them once.
“Our characters’ look includes the colour or shape of the eyes, so coloured contact lenses are an essential part of our costume kit.
“Many buy second-hand contact lens because it is cheaper when they want to change characters.
“There are even those who offer to exchange contact lenses with others online,” said the 20-something graphic artist.
Online sales of cosmetic contact lens is a growing trend among many young people, said the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO).
“Search with keywords like ‘cheap contact lenses’ and you will find many individuals and online shops pushing the cosmetic products,” said AMO assistant honorary secretary Muhammad Syukri Mohamad Rafiuddin.
There are also many offers online for those interested in becoming cosmetic contact lens agents or stockists.
The explosion of online vendors, combined with the lack of knowledge about the dangers of improper use of contact lenses among the young, could have grim consequences, warned AMO president Murphy Chan.
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| Chan: ‘Sure, it is fashion but it is in contact with your cornea, and your cornea is unprotected tissue that can be damaged permanently.’ |
A study by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2013 found that coloured contact lens samples purchased from the Internet failed safety and health tests, he said.
“The study found that the colour pigment on six out of 10 coloured lenses bought online came out easily when they were rubbed.
“And AMO believes the unauthorised contact lenses sold in Malaysia come from the same source,” Chan said.
Chan advised cosmetic lens users to buy from optometrists and opticians who were certified to dispense them.
“Look out for the Malaysian Optical Council’s pink and green certificate to ensure the quality and reliability of the contact lenses.”
He stressed the importance of going for an eye-check and getting a prescription before buying cosmetic contact lenses “even if you have a 20/20 vision”.
The Malaysian Optical Council secretary Nor Azizah Ismail said policing online sale of cosmetic contact lenses would be easier and stricter if they were gazetted as a medical device under the Medical Devices Act 2012 (Act 737).
“We will work with MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and other enforcement authorities to monitor and regulate unauthorised cosmetic contact lenses and unlicensed vendors.”
After the gazette, Nor Azizah said, those who wanted to become manufacturers, distributors or importers of cosmetic contact lenses would need to be licensed by the Health Ministry.
“This also means that they need to be, or employ, qualified optometrists and opticians with the proper certification from MOC if they want to become stockists, agents or producers of cosmetic contact lenses.”
The Star
NationHome > News > Nation
Sunday, 8 February 2015
You only have one pair of eyes
BY HARIATI AZIZAN
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| Eyeful of trouble: Unauthorised cosmetic contact lenses are priced around RM15 at night markets. In beauty shops, they cost around RM25 |
Since it was first invented in 1888 to correct vision, contact lenses have come such a long way that now even those with perfect vision are using them daily for cosmetic reasons.
The familiarity, however, has made many careless when it comes to safety and hygiene in the use and care for their contact lenses.
Combined with the number of young and new users who lack the right information on the dangers and awareness of the “Dos and Don’ts” of contact lens use and care, the risk of devastating eye infection is high in the country.
The most common infection related to contact lens use is keratitis, an infection of the cornea or the clear round part covering the eye’s iris and pupil.
Keratitis is caused by bacteria, fungus and microbes. In severe cases, it can cause corneal scarring that impairs vision, leading to a corneal transplant and blindness. But with proper handling, storage and cleaning of lenses, the risk of keratitis infection can be reduced.
Many bad habits, however, are already entrenched in users’ daily regime, laments Nor Azizah.
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