Why You Should Evaluate Your Contact Lens

Since I was in 4th grade, I've been a "four eyes". No, I don't have four eyes... two very dark brown eyes but instead, I've worn glasses or contacts since that point of my life. Both eyeglasses and contacts are incredibly important for eye health and well, just to see but one can be less wasteful than the other. Can you guess which?

Contacts are an amazing invention and are great for everyday use, especially if glasses are incredibly uncomfortable to wear or you have a job where you necessarily can't wear glasses. Contacts do have a dark side... plastic pollution and water/ocean pollution. According to CLSpectrum, "among more than 400 contact lens wearers surveyed, 19% discard their contact lenses into the toilet or sink. On an annual basis, this results in an estimated 2.5 billion contact lenses weighing approximately 44,000 pounds entering the wastewater treatment plants in the United States." With users often tossing their contacts into the trash, toilet or sink, these lens turn into microplastics causing an even bigger issue to the climate crisis.

When I used contacts pretty regularly, I had no idea what type of waste I was creating or how I was tossing them would impact our environment. Optical Express, the lens and eye surgery provider did a study on the habits of contact users and low and behold, I wasn't the only one! According to the article from One Green Planet on the study, up to a third of participants had no idea their habit was causing any harm to the planet.

So, you're a contact user but are looking for ways to reduce your plastic waste. The number one sure way to cut down on that plastic usage is through eyeglasses. Eyeglasses can last you years of usage and although your prescription may change, the lens on your glasses can too and most of the time, they're recyclable! If you find you simply can't resort to glasses, there are companies that are dedicating resources to recycling contact lens such as Optical Express' recycling boxes around the UK, Terracycle's program with Acuvue and in the United States, Bausch and Lomb's program called ONE by ONE that will take back lens and its packaging with over 2600 locations across the country. If you don't have a location near you to turn them in, you can opt to ship them over instead. Of course, if you have the resources ($$), contact len return programs and eyeglasses don't even have to be a thing you consider. Eye corrective surgery like Lasik can treat even the worst vision, saving you the hassle of recycling or pushing those glasses on your nose constantly.

I for one am a huge eyeglasses wearer. I think they bring an amazing sense of style to any outfit and I don't have to worry about remembering to take them out of my eye at night. I do still wear contacts occasionally but have opted for monthlies. This allows for less waste vs. dailies and is perfect for someone who only wears contacts for special occasions. My recent trip to the eye doctor resulted in a new pair of frames that I absolutely love and better yet, they came in a cork case! You know me.... I just love seeing sustainable materials being used on such small, everyday items.

If you wear glasses, show me your frames! Tag me on Instagram @_ConsciouslyEco.

Photo by Bud Helisson on Unsplash