Plastic Materials in Contacts Lenses. Are They Safe?

In a recent study conducted by a group called Mamavation in partnership with Environmental Health News, researchers found that 18 sets of soft contact lenses were evaluated and came back with various levels of organic fluorine—an indicator for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS).

PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” is a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals used in consumer products worldwide since the 1950s, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are ingredients in various everyday products, can last years without breaking down, and have been linked to cancer and other serious health issues.

The sets of soft contact lenses tested were from three major companies (Acuvue, a Johnson & Johnson Vision brand, Alcon, and CooperVision). Contact lens analysis by a laboratory certified by the Environmental Protection Agency by the Mamavation eco-wellness website to determine how much of this PFAS building block was present in each product.

The study examined organic fluorine in lenses made by Acuvue, Alcon, and Coopervision. It found the chemical between 105 parts per million (ppm) to 20,700 ppm.

The chemistry is complex, and the lenses may have some other ingredients, but the readings suggest fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymer PFAS, in this form, is essentially a soft plastic material and a significant component for disposable, soft lenses.

Among the tested contact lenses, 22% displayed organic fluorine levels surpassing 18,000 ppm, accounting for four of the 18 products assessed. Additionally, 44% of the lenses tested contained over 4,000 ppm of organic fluorine, representing eight of the 18 products examined.

What our lab found was a bit concerning because 100% of the popular contact lens products we sent came back with various levels of organic fluorine, a marker for PFAS.

Two companies use silicone hydrogel lenses that are free of PFAS.

Our trusted manufacturing partner, Visco Vision, manufactures lenses. Visco is the largest manufacturer of silicone hydrogels and has been leading in the contact lens industry since 2009. The manufacturing plant originates in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. These lenses contain high-quality silicone hydrogel. With 47% water content and high oxygen permeability (175 Dk/t), Eiyan lenses provide all-day comfort and moistness. Band L Lenses made up of Silicone hydrogel

Band L Lenses: https://eiyanlens.com/

Enjoy the show.

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SUMMARY KEYWORDS

plastic, contact lenses, called, eye, pfa, ocular, contact lens, podcast, research, lenses, article, microbiome, membership, company, organic, private facebook community, toxic, sam, questions, today

 

00:05

Hey everybody, its Dr. Sam and I’d like to welcome you to my EyeCarity podcast. So if you want to get in touch with me, you can send me an email at Hello@drsamberne.com. Or you can text me now 1-844-932-1291 Send me your questions.

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02:09

Hey, everybody, its Dr. Sam, and we’re here at my podcast. I’m doing my morning hike. And I took a question from a listener are the plastics in contact lenses? Are they toxic? So that’s going to be the basis of our show today. So I’m going to reference a research study that was published, there was a group called mom ovation. And they partnered with a publication called environmental news health. And in this particular study, they took a look at 18 pairs of contact lenses from the most popular companies in the United States to see what was the plastic used in the contact lenses.

03:11

So the researchers came back from the study and they found that there were various levels of organic warming, which is an indicator of something called PFAS. PFAS is an indicator of

03:29

what we call poly floral alkali. And we call it

03:35

forever chemicals. Wherever chemicals are a synthetic group of products that have been used in a variety of different consumer materials since the 1950s. And this has been confirmed by NIH. But the issue here is these plastics can cause cancer and other serious health problems. Also, with this plastic in the eye, it can reduce something called the ocular microbiome. So I want to talk about the ocular microbiome for a minute. I published the article in mind body green, you can look it up. And in that article, I list some research on how scientists have found that we actually have good bacteria in our eyes. And a lot of these eye infections, you know, the chronic ones auto immune disease, recurrent things like conjunctivitis, or more serious cornea issues could be traced to the fact that we have a low ocular microbiome and if we’re taking long term topicals steroids, topical glaucoma, medications, anything pharmaceutical, or we wear contact lenses, we have a higher risk of reducing the good bacteria or the ocular microbiome in the eye. And so now linking this PFA s plastic to some of the most popular contact lenses. This is something I think that the consumer needs to know.

Now in the study, there were three companies that were found to have high PFS levels, Alcon Coopervision, and Aqua view and these are clearly reported in the research article. So I should say that the Accu view contact lens is produced by a company called Johnson and Johnson. And what the researchers found is this organic fluorine molecule in the contact lenses between 105 parts per million and 20,700 parts per million. So, testing contact lenses display, worrying whether it passing 18,000 parts permitted. And additionally, 44% of the lenses tested containing over 4000 parts per minute of organic flooring. This is pretty toxic for eyes. So the lab conducting the study motivation was very concerned because 100% of the context they tested had this organic fluorine marker, which tells us that there is this toxic PFA s in the most popular brands of the contact lenses sold in the US.

So there’s one company that doesn’t sell the PFA s, and it’s just silicone hydrogels. And this company is called VSCO vision. They are based in Taiwan, I will put the name of the contact lens in the notes of the podcast. So I think the key takeaway is that if you are our contact lens, where to do some research on what is actually the material that’s in those contact lenses, and is there this PFA s toxic plastic, which could be affecting your ocular microbiome, and also, with this plastic material, what are the health risks and cancer risks from being exposed to this, this type of plastic? Now the reality is, is plastic is everywhere, you know, it’s a petroleum product. It’s in the oceans. I mean, it’s even in our bodies.

And I think environmentally, we need to take a look at in the near future, how to stop using plastic because it’s everywhere. But if you are a contact lens where I definitely would look at this company, this go vision or if you do have a trusted contact lens that you like to have a conversation with your eye doctor and find out what is in these lenses, the OB the silicone hydrogels are much safer than the PFA s. Now this brings us to another point, which is if you are getting cataract surgery, what is in those lenses. And I am going to do another show on intraocular lenses, and the past the plastic polymers that are in those, so you’ll have to stay tuned for that. So feel free to send me any questions if you want to learn more about it.

Again, I’ll put the link to the the research article. Some of the big media outlets like the Guardian wrote a really nice article about it. And I think it’s something now we’re bringing into our awareness about do we want plastics on our eyes? All right, well, it’s time for me to get back on the trail. I want to thank you so much for tuning in today. Until next time, Take care

10:11

Thank you for listening. I hope you learned something from then EyeClarity podcast show today. If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to subscribe on iTunes or Spotify and leave a review. See you here next time.