Internet purchase of contact lenses and missing out on vital eye checks have been blamed for a soaring rate of eye infections including Acanthamoeba keratitis.
A report in the Mail on Sunday (September 21) stated that ‘foreign websites that sell lenses without asking to see evidence of a prescription are believed to be largely to blame for the problem’.
Professor John Dart said that the trend towards internet purchasing had contributed to the risk because people did not undergo vital eye checks so frequently. He has seen a seven-fold increase in cases of Acanthamoeba since 2010.
Speaking on The Breakfast Show this week (September 22), Professor Dart said that one study in Australia had made the association between internet purchase and infection and it was probably due to poor education of those patients who were not getting reinforced advice about contact lens safety measures, whch they would get when seeing their optometrist.
He added that patients could still buy lenses online but should go for an eye check with their optometrist. Explaining the incidence of Acanthamoeba, he said: ‘It’s not a common infection. It makes up only about 2-3 per cent of all CL wear infections we see. If you get it a quarter of these patients will be under treatment for over 10 months. Another quarter will need over 38 months of follow up, another quarter will need over 31 hospital visits. Three-quarters of the patients do reasonably well but a quarter will need some sort of corneal transplant to put the vision right after the disease is over or just to cure the infection.’
Olga Nuryaeva of lenstore.co.uk said that while an ever-growing number of people were buying their contact lenses online, which was an inevitable trend, buying online did not mean compromising on eye health.
‘It is only by engaging with the customers in a way that is convenient to them (be it email, online chat, SMS, telephone or in person) that the optical sector can hope to ensure eye health is taken seriously.’
She added that the company worked hard to ensure expert eye care was accessible to contact lens wearers who bought their lenses online, now offering complimentary eye tests and contact lens check ups at any UK Vision Express store.
Simon Rodwell, secretary general of the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers said the ACLM had been working for some time with its Optical Confederation colleagues to convey clear safety messages to the general public, and it was now working with the GOC on its illegal trading initiative. ‘Safe and compliant contact lens wear is one of the most important strategic imperatives for manufacturers and governing bodies alike. As part of the GOC’s initiative, the ACLM supports the need for all suppliers of contact lenses to communicate important safety information, especially where the sale and supply takes place online.’
• A BBC 1 documentary this week reported that Moorfields Eye Hospital was being forced to buy corneas from abroad because of a shortage of UK donors. Stating that it needed about 1,500 corneas a year, it launched an appeal for more people to sign up.
