Some types of soft contact lenses in the US may contain toxic ‘forever chemicals’, according to a recent study.
In research carried out by Mamavation, an eco-wellness product investigation community, along with Environmental Health News, they found indications of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are known as ‘forever chemicals’ – pollutants that are slow to degrade and which do not naturally breakdown and can stay in the environment for many years.
Scientists tested 18 sets of popular soft contact lenses – including brands such as Acuvue, Alcon and CooperVision – and they all came back with various levels of organic fluorine, which is a marker for PFAS. Tests revealed that 44% of the contact lenses contained more than 4,000 parts per million of organic fluorine.
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According to Mamavation, exposure to PFAS could cause lowered immunity, increased cholesterol levels, metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lowered fertility in men and women, increased risk of kidney and testicular cancers, and other side effects.
“It’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water and personal care products such as eye contacts,” say Mamavation.
The researchers found that all of the contacts exceeded 100 parts per million (ppm) of organic fluorine, which is about 50,000 times more than the highest level that’s considered safe in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences Pete Myers was concerned by the findings, telling Fox News: “Last summer, the EPA issued health advisories in drinking water for four common PFAS, ranging from 0.004 parts per trillion (ppt) to 2000 ppt.
“The EPA considers exposure beneath these thresholds to be safe for drinking water.
“It’s worth noting that all the contact lenses tested exceeded 100ppm, which is equivalent to 100,000,000 ppt or 50,000 times higher than the highest level deemed safe in drinking water by the EPA.”
Holistic optometrist Dr Marc Grossman, though, was not quite as alarmed by the test results. He said: “Because each lens manufacturer uses different materials, these studies do not clearly state if there are contact lenses that contain fewer chemicals than others.
“In 43 years of practice, I have not found that individuals who wear contact lenses are affected by eye diseases more than those who do not.”
Meanwhile, Californian ophthalmologist Bavand Youssefzadeh, said: “There’s fluoro in a lot of things and we’re becoming more aware of that.
“At this stage, this is definitely something to think about, but there’s not really evidence as to what the harms are just yet.
“Could this cause dry eye and eye allergies? We don’t know.”
