For persons with visual issues, contact lenses are among the most useful inventions. Out with the old and in with the new may sound like such a simple idea, but it appears that some individuals are missing a stage in the process.

Amit Patel, a consultant ophthalmologist, Richard Crombie, a consultant anesthesiologist, and specialized trainee ophthalmologist Rupal Marjaria all had opinions on the matter. In a report for the British Medical Journal, they reported that a woman, 67 years old, had 27 contacts stuck in her eye.

At the Solihull Hospital in England, the woman was getting ready for a standard cataract procedure. They found a “blueish foreign body” in her right eye at that point.

According to CNN, “[Crombie] noticed a blue mass under the top eyelid and put a speculum into the eye to hold the eye open as he put the anesthetic in,” Morjaria said.

The primary author, Marjaria, stated that the “hard mass” consisted of 17 contact lenses that had become clumped together with mucus. After looking more closely, they discovered ten more lenses in the same eye.

Morjaria remarked, “None of us have ever seen this before.” It was a really big mass.The seventeen contact lenses were adhered to one another. It would irritate the patient quite a bit when it was sitting there, so we were rather shocked that the patient didn’t notice it.

Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, was astounded. He represents the American Academy of Ophthalmology as a clinical spokesperson. 27 is “one for the record books, as far as [he] could tell,” in his opinion, despite the fact that he had treated patients who had only one contact stuck in their eye.

How on earth did that happen?

This woman seems to get the idea of wearing contact lenses. She had worn them for roughly thirty-five years after all. The woman later acknowledged that, although she occasionally attempted to take out the contact from her right eye, it appeared to be gone.

The fact that the lenses were getting caught around her eye gave her the impression that she had dropped them.

She felt a little uncomfortable, but she dismissed it as the result of aging or dry eyes. She had also not made a lot of appointments with an ophthalmologist. Her eyes are indeed deeply set, and the annoyance was minor. She didn’t think seeing a doctor was necessary.

Morjaria urges everyone to be aware of this risk.

It used to be believed that having that many contacts in your eyes was impossible, but that is no longer the case. Everyone who wears contact lenses should be aware of this, even though it was an exceptional case.

Clinical and regulatory officer Henry Leonard of the Association of Optometrists stated, “Patients do sometimes present with a contact lens stuck under their upper eyelid, particularly if they are new to contact lens wear or have problems with dexterity, but finding this many lenses stuck in someone’s eye is exceedingly rare.” “The majority of patients would be at risk for eye infections and have significant discomfort and redness.”

According to Steinemann, the following are red flags of a stuck contact lens:

Sharp or scratchy pain
Light sensitivity
Redness

After discovering the contact lenses in her eyes, the cataract surgery was put on hold. There was too much bacteria and the risk of infection was great. She was feeling ‘much better’ 2 weeks later when she came in for her surgery.

Watch this short video for some tips every contact lens wearer could benefit from knowing.

Wash your hands and dry them thoroughly before using any type of contact lens, being sure to follow the recommended procedures.

– Never use tap water to clean lenses.
– Ask your optometrist before changing how you clean your contact lenses.
– Replace your contact lenses regularly to reduce the risk of infection.
– Only wear contact lenses for the recommended amount of time.
– Unless given the go-ahead by your optometrist, don’t bathe or swim with your contact lenses in.
– Never share or swap contact lenses with other people.
– Always apply make-up after putting your contact lenses in.
– At least once a year, or as recommended by your optometrist, go to regular after-care appointments.
– When in doubt, take them out — especially if you notice redness, pain, or loss of vision — and contact your optometrist.