To worry about forever chemicals in contact lenses?

[Bumpitybumper]

Anyone else a bit concerned about the news this week that soft contact lenses are basically made of forever chemicals?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/09/contact-lenses-pfas-forever-chemicals
As someone that wears them everyday and has done so for the past 20 years AIBU to wonder if I've massively risked my health by doing this?

It is concerning, but they’re everywhere. They’re in drinking water in significant concentrations, packaging, paints, clothes, medical equipment, cleaning products… they’re unavoidable. Something’s going to get us eventually.

Another thing to worry about, our modern world is just toxic apparently.

I might wear my.lenses a little less but no not worried. Been wearing them for 25 years so not a lot I can do now anyway.

Yes, I'm wearing them less but really hate glasses so can't give them up entirely

Not great news. Also, please don't flush your contact lenses.

I never flush them but it's scary how many daily disposables are out there

Whats the issue with flushing them?

You’re introducing plastic waste which will break down into microplastics into the water and eco system. And animals can choke on them.

Plastic in the ocean

Ask your optician about recycling scheme for contact lenses with Terracycle. It's available to all opticians to utilise. If they don't, ask them why. Can be any brand.

Omg don't flush contact lenses! No way will they be filtered out in the sewage system. They will be in sea water for forever. Better they go to landfill with the rest of our unrecyclable uncompostable rubbish.

Out of interest does anyone with knowledge of eyes think that the forever chemicals would be readily absorbed by the eyes?

Which chemicals exactly are we talking about?
Depends on how they behave in the body.

The chemistry is complex and there may be some other ingredients in the lenses, but the readings suggest fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymer PFAS in this form are essentially a soft plastic material and are used for disposable, soft lenses because “they have the properties that your eyes want”, Belcher said.

Does this give you an idea?

The article says is the lenses in the US. Are you in the US?

No but the big contact manufacturers are the same as in the UK. So for example Coopervision that were included in this study also make the contact lenses I use.

I'm an optometrist, honestly it all looks incredibly complicated. I suspect they'll be something published by my professional body in response to the article, and I'll try and remember to post back when it is.

The cornea is designed to only absorb nutrients, oxygen and other small particles from the tear layer, as it needs to maintain it's transparency and resistance to microbes. Flouropolymers are large molecules and wouldn't be able to penetrate through the corneal surface under normal conditions. HOWEVER, contact lens wearers are more prone to abrasions (cell loss) on the cornea especially if they over wear their lenses, or they don't fit properly. So, it's another reason to not change brand and ensure that you're going for regular check ups.

I've also had a read of the articles that this is based on here:
https://www.mamavation.com/health/pfas-contact-lenses.html

which is based on the sort-of evidence here

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9730836/#:~:text=Organic%20fluorine%20has%20recently%20emerged,have%20commercially%20available%20analytical%20standards.

and it's all a bit wooly, there are lot's of "might do", "possibly might" "potentially" statements and not a lot of actual evidence.

Anyway, it's not going to make any difference to you having worn lenses for as long as you have and probably isn't a issue, but it's worth keeping an eye on.
And making sure that you're not swapping brand without getting the fit checked first and making sure that you are getting check ups.

Oh christ, another thing to worry about!! FFS. Now I'm wishing I went for laser years ago, instead of endlessly dithering about it.

@underneaththeash thank you for taking the time to respond. It is reassuring to know that the cornea shouldn't necessarily be absorbing the fluropolymers. I know that doesn't mean it isn't bad but it maybe isn't as bad as it could have been

I know! I don't know why but this bit of news has really got to me. Perhaps because I haven't done the laser and because I was always so careful about hygiene etc and therefore thought lenses were 'safe'. Feels like nothing is safe now

YANBU.

This is also hugely worrying for me because I am doing IVF and ttc at 40 after 14 losses. Trying to cut down the toxic load as much as I can to improve egg quality. Then I heard this when it came out!

PFAS is in a lot of period pants too…

What the hell are we doing to ourselves as a species. And noone seems to care about the long term impact!

I work in the chemical regulation industry. not medical or personal care but the approval process is similar.

I’d say it’s unlikely PFAS will be absorbed into your eye as these types of products are highly regulated. As someone above said, they’ll be too big. They’ll form part of the contact lense polymer (plastic).

Exactly what’s in these types of products are scrutinised and they wouldn’t design / approve a product where harmful chemicals were absorbed into your eye. PFAS isn’t a new issue, so it’s not new knowledge to the contact lense industry or something they’ll have missed.

Agree that nothing feels safe. What’s the point in trying when our clothes are toxic, our food and its packaging, our food prep and storage items, our medicines and medical devices, our air, our water, all of it - seriously.

I've been wearing them for so long there's no point in worrying now. I wear Acuvue Oasys which was one of the better ones so I suppose that's something

Well there's always hard lenses, which have the additional advantage of posing less hygiene issues. (Spoken as a happy user for the past 30-odd years.)

I wear hard lenses too - I am on my third set since 1968.