Back into nails... contact lens advice needed!

[theperfectten]

Hi all! I'm new on here so bare with me! Recently got back into the nail industry after a break, I've come back into it and wear contact lenses now but have been advised not to wear my lenses when doing acrylic extensions as it can cause problems...

"Contact lenses are not recommended for use in areas where there is a
potential for exposure to acyrlic monomers. Corrosive vapors can collect behind contact lenses and may
cause severe damage to the eye and/or cause the contact lenses to adhere to the eyes."

Has anyone else heard of this? When last in the industry I wore glasses so it wasn't an issue!

Thanks in advance xx

 

[Adamantine]

I wear contact and I've not had problems but I'm not set up in business yet. As long as you don't have the dust flying everywhere with a fan I'm sure you will be fine.

I was also contact lens manager at a large opticians so from a profession perspective there shouldn't bea problem.

 

[RebeccaQ]

Whilst training recently we were advised to wear glasses and not contacts due to vapours etc x

 

[linzi]

I've worn lenses for 13/14 years now - and ones you keep in for a month, including sleeping, for the last five or so years of that - and have never had one problem.

I didn't actually know it could be a problem!

 

[Chickafish]

I think the only time I stopped wearing contact lenses was when I worked in an NSS. Those vapors are brutal! I haven't had that problem recently, but maybe it's because I'm not around monomer 11 hours a day anymore

 

[JuicyLucy]

This is an interesting one. I have worn contact lenses for years. Although I don't often use L&P, I do fibreglass, gel and of course gel polish. I've never had a problem. In fact, if I do fibreglass without my contact lenses I find that the resin vapours can sting my eyes!!

I know its not the same, but when peeling an onion with contact lenses in, your eyes don't sting, much the same as my fibreglass resin experience. It seems to me that my contact lenses sometimes protect my eyes.

I wonder where the idea of contact lenses and monomer vapors being a problem came from. I am not disputing it, I just wonder what evidence it is based on. Clearly, I am no doctor or chemist.

 

[Chickafish]

This page is kinda old but a good read
Simple Product Chemistry
in the little bullet points towards the bottom it says:

Soft contact lenses can absorb vapors from the air -- never wear contact lenses in the salon, and wash your hands before touching the eye area.
Wearing contacts while in the salon is risky as vapors will collect in the soft lenses and make them unwearable. Even if you wear safety glasses, the vapors are still absorbed. The contaminated lens can etch the surface of the eye and cause permanent damage. Should an accidental spill occur, the liquid will 'wick' under the lens, making proper cleansing of the eye more difficult.

I will agree with you though, JuicyLucy! When I cut an onion with my lenses on, my eyes don't really sting that much

 

[gemmalou1981]

I used to wear contact lenses constantly but ended up with a nasty ulcer on my eye from gettibg dust trapped underneath. I was using continuous wear ones. Xx

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[GlamourEyes11]

Hi all! I'm new on here so bare with me! Recently got back into the nail industry after a break, I've come back into it and wear contact lenses now but have been advised not to wear my lenses when doing acrylic extensions as it can cause problems...

"Contact lenses are not recommended for use in areas where there is a
potential for exposure to acyrlic monomers. Corrosive vapors can collect behind contact lenses and may
cause severe damage to the eye and/or cause the contact lenses to adhere to the eyes."

Has anyone else heard of this? When last in the industry I wore glasses so it wasn't an issue!

Thanks in advance xx

Personally, I would still wear mine, but if it's a concern to you, why don't you take you lense solution etc with you and give your lenses a good rinse throughout the day and then again at the end of the day.
X

 

[mum]

Doug Schoon has written about it and I would trust his view. The permeable and semipermeable lenses can allow vapours through. Frankly, I don't believe it's worth the risk. Eyes are rather precious.

Maybe some people have worn them for years without problem but who knows the exact conditions when it could be a problem. The advice from someone who specialises I the subject and is an accepted authority is the one I'd listen to and the the "oh, you'll be fine" variety

 

[theperfectten]

Thanks for all your replies, think I'll just stick to wearing my glasses when doing acrylics! I value my eyesight too much to risk it for vanity ha ha ha!

 

[linzi]

Doug Schoon has written about it and I would trust his view. The permeable and semipermeable lenses can allow vapours through. Frankly, I don't believe it's worth the risk. Eyes are rather precious.

Maybe some people have worn them for years without problem but who knows the exact conditions when it could be a problem. The advice from someone who specialises I the subject and is an accepted authority is the one I'd listen to and the the "oh, you'll be fine" variety

Of course!

I was just surprised - my optician (well, all four who work there) knows what I do, and have done for the past 11 years, and they've never said anything. Other than the fact my eyes are in perfect condition!

To be perfectly honest, my eyes are so bad that I couldn't wear glasses anyway - they give me a terribly sore head, I lose all sense of balance and can't focus properly anyway. Laser surgery isn't an option either, again because my prescription is so strong. I'd have to give up doing nails

 

[Dream Nails]

I wear lenses but I can't for doing close up work. Can't focus (I'm short sighted with an astigmatism) so have naked eyes when doing nails.
Just have to make sure I have my glasses because you wouldn't want me on the road without them!
Vicki x

 

[Chickafish]

I wear lenses but I can't for doing close up work. Can't focus (I'm short sighted with an astigmatism) so have naked eyes when doing nails.
Just have to make sure I have my glasses because you wouldn't want me on the road without them!
Vicki x

Hey! I'm farsighted with astigmatism! I just wear my glasses now or nothing at all.

 

[theperfectten]

I wear lenses but I can't for doing close up work. Can't focus (I'm short sighted with an astigmatism) so have naked eyes when doing nails.
Just have to make sure I have my glasses because you wouldn't want me on the road without them!
Vicki x

I'm the same as you, short sighted with astigmatism but I'm fine doing close up work, never been a problem!

 

[spoken-words]

I wear contacts all day everyday, iv never heard that you couldnt xx

 

[Devonnaydf]

I also wear contact lenses and i don't have any problems. I do wear safety glasses when filing because i have gotten dust in my eyes before. Acrylic vapors have never really bothered my eyes, just the dust. Maybe try a vented table?

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[Floss26]

I wore soft lenses for 16 years and then had LASIK (laser treatment) to correct my vision and WOW!! 10 years later I still have almost 20/20 vision and it really has made so much difference to my life. I know it's not for everyone, for a variety of reasons, but worth considering.

 

['chelle]

so, just to go off on a tangent slightly, how would everyone feel about customers wearing contact lenses? Should we be advising our clients not to wear contacts to the salon, or include "do you wear contacts" as a question on the client record card. I have my daughter coming to the salon for her nails doing tomorrow and she wears contact lenses, I think I might ask her to wear her glasses actually.