DO NOT WEAR YOUR CONTACTS 24/7!!!
English: Corneal transplant 2 weeks after surgery. Operation carried out at University Hospital Cork, Ireland by surgeon Mr.Aiden Murray.The sutures are 1.5 thousandth of an inch thick nylon.The picture clearly shows the diameter of the donor cornea which came from the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank in Denver, Colorado. Русский: Глаз через две недели после пересадки роговицы (сквозная кератопластика). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA
DO NOT WEAR YOUR CONTACTS 24/7!!!
by
Sanford Pinna, M.D.
I’m just as lazy as anyone else on this planet.
For several years I started to wear my contacts 24/7.
I asked several of my E.R. buddies if they did the same,
and sure enough, they did.
Then I went for a routine exam with one of the best
ophthalmologists in the U.S.A.
He asked me about my contact use.
“I never take them off! When I wake up in the middle
of the night I can see everything clearly.”
“Guess what, Sandy? About twice a year I get called
in for an emergency corneal transplant. It’s always for
some idiot like you. A 24/7 wearer!”
“What’s the bug?”
“Pseudomonas!”
He looked at me seriously…
“Pseudomonas can perforate a cornea in less than 12
hours!”
(For those who do not know the term, the CORNEA is the colored part of the eye.
We see through the cornea. If it is damaged, we are blind.)
I pictured Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in my mind.
It was one of the worst bugs on the planet. I had seen
thousands of patients with red eyes and I always had
prescribed an antibiotic to kill that bacteria. But, over
the years, Pseudomonas had become more and more
resistant to antibiotics. Today, there were only two
good antibiotics that would kill it, and they cost a
fortune and frequently must be used in special dosages.
After those thoughts and the idea of having
a corneal transplant which would mean using medications
forever to prevent rejection of the transplant
I thought no longer.
It was going to be a definite pain in the butt.
But, I knew that anything good costs energy and discomfort.
I made up my mind instantly.
“What’s the best type of lenses?” I asked him.
“Daily disposables. Put them on in the morning.
Throw them away in the evening. Totally sterile.”
That’s what I wear now.
It definitely is a pain in the butt. Plus, they cost twice
as much as the weekly types.
But, whenever I think about the pleasure of sleeping
in my contacts I think about my little enemy Pseudomonas
chewing on my corneas. In my mind, he has strong jaws.
Then I smile.
“You’re not getting me, buddy!”
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