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Medical Forum / General / Vision / February 2005Buying heat units for contact lenses
Is there any place that still sells heating units for contact lenses? I have searched the Web, but all I found was: http://www.contactlenses.co.uk/education/public/heat_disinfection_unit.htm Surely I don't have to purchase these from another country! I also found an older unit being sold on eBay, but I don't know if it's a good idea to purchase older models. When I asked the nurse at my local eye care center about heat disinfection, she said they didn't have any units, but she didn't say, "Oh, those went away with the 8-track tape player!" Thanks for any help. OK, I'll answer my own post, LOL!! This seems to be one: http://www.eartheyes.cc/ Interestingly enough, I found this page right away with a non-Google search engine, but could not find it at all with Google. I guess Google isn't the be-all and end-all of searching then. My illusions are shattered! :) The nurse was right!! I haven't sold one of those things for years. Why would you want one? They kill bugs well, but they also bake the protein on to your lenses. Today's multipurpose solutions are pretty good, and reactions to the preservatives are very rare indeed. Dom > Is there any place that still sells heating units for contact lenses? > I have searched the Web, but all I found was: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > units, but she didn't say, "Oh, those went away with the 8-track tape > player!" Thanks for any help. I want one because thermal disinfection is the most effective at killing germs and because it doesn't involve weird chemicals. :) I've done a lot of searching on the Internet and read articles that suggest that the preservatives in the solutions may have negative long-term effects on one's eyes. I'm not thrilled about the baking on of proteins, but I figure as long as I clean my lenses real well before disinfecting, it shouldn't be a huge issue. Besides, I can always buy a new pair of contacts, but not a new pair of eyes. :) >I want one because thermal disinfection is the most effective at > killing germs and because it doesn't involve weird chemicals. :) I've [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > disinfecting, it shouldn't be a huge issue. Besides, I can always buy > a new pair of contacts, but not a new pair of eyes. :) Baked proteins are much more allergenic than modern soaking solutions. Heating (also oxygen and UV) converts your proteins so your body recognizes them as foreign. Frequent replacement is better than enzyme cleaners. -MT > Baked proteins are much more allergenic than modern soaking solutions. > Heating (also oxygen and UV) converts your proteins so your body recognizes > them as foreign. > > Frequent replacement is better than enzyme cleaners. Well, I didn't say that thermal disinfection is a perfect solution, but even with its drawbacks it still seems to be the best overall. Here's a relevant article: http://www.optometry.co.uk/articles/19990702/Woodward.pdf An important quote from the article: "It would thus seem that thermal disinfection using non-preserved saline is still the only system which has no adverse effect on ocular tissue." Maybe it's really best not to wear contacts at all! ;) > Well, I didn't say that thermal disinfection is a perfect solution, > but even with its drawbacks it still seems to be the best overall. I don't think so. It's an obsolete solution in the 21 st century, considering that the plastics used today are rather different than those used in the 1960's and 1970's---the last time heat disinfection was commonly used. That's 40 year's ago! > Here's a relevant article: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > saline is still the only system which has no adverse effect on ocular > tissue." And that is clearly untrue. Heat-altered protein can indeed cause adverse effects on ocular tissue. > Maybe it's really best not to wear contacts at all! ;) Or silicone hydrogels that you keep in for a week or two or four, and then toss them. Or hydrogen peroxide disinfection which can leave no chemical residue. Or ozone/UV disinfection which leaves no chemical residue (but may sometimes denature the protein as Dr. MT wrote.) But I have a couple of unused thermal disinfection units left. I'm saving them as antiques. Might be worth something one day. LB, O.D. > > Well, I didn't say that thermal disinfection is a perfect solution, > > but even with its drawbacks it still seems to be the best overall. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > used in the 1960's and 1970's---the last time heat disinfection was > commonly used. That's 40 year's ago! >From the articles I've read, it does seem to kill germs the best, however. > > "It would thus seem that thermal disinfection using non-preserved > > saline is still the only system which has no adverse effect on ocular > > tissue." > > And that is clearly untrue. Heat-altered protein can indeed cause > adverse effects on ocular tissue. I guess it depends on what he means by "adverse effect on ocular tissue." So the real question is this: Which "adverse" effect is worse--that caused by the thermal disinfection or that caused by the chemical disinfection? > But I have a couple of unused thermal disinfection units left. I'm > saving them as antiques. Might be worth something one day. Maybe you'll get to show them off on the Oprah Winfrey show one day!! Then again, I guess her show won't be around that long. :) |
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