NOVEMBER, 2019 | The HEALTH
EYE HEALTH
17
ACCURATE VIEW: A proper, extensive
eye test should be done regularly to
ensure the safety and health of our eyes.
their ocular health remains in good condi-
tion,” pleads Chan.
Caring for your contacts
Wearing contact lenses way past their intended duration can be extremely hazardous
H
OW informed are we about our
own eye health? If you are already
a habitual wearer of glasses or
contact lenses, you are probably
on autopilot by now. But have you
visited an optometrist to check
the condition of your eye? We speak with
optometrist Chan May Ling, owner of the
Chan Visual Care Optometrist practice
located at Bukit Jambul shopping complex
in Penang.
Wearing and caring
for contact lenses
“Long-term contact lens users usually don’t
get their eyes checked. Th eir eye care routine
just involves purchasing off -the-shelf lenses,”
said Chan.
“For them, as long there are no obvious
problems with their eyes, they don’t make it
a point to visit the optometrist. As a result,
once an issue pops up, it’s typically an emer-
gency case.”
She makes it a point to fi nd out when each
of her customers last got their eyes checked
professionally. Th e main issue she faces is that
people don’t often comply with the instruc-
tions given and they only rush to the doctor
when the issue gets severe.
Some of these cases involve people ‘clean-
ing’ their contact lenses with tap water
EYEZ OPTOMETRY HOLDINGS,
ATRIA F07, FIRST FLOOR, ATRIA SHOPPING
GALLERY, ATRIA DAMANSARA,
JLN SS22/23, DAMANSARA JAYA
VISION SPACE,
DAMANSARA UTAMA 114G,
JLN SS21/35,
DAMANSARA UTAMA,
PETALING JAYA
PARIS MIKI,
1 UTAMA F115,
1 UTAMA SHOPPING CENTRE,
BANDAR UTAMA, PETALING JAYA
instead of contact lens cleaning solution,
without realising that germs and microorgan-
isms live in tap water.
“Most customers will not take the initiative
to undergo a yearly eye checkup. Unfortu-
nately, after several years without a proper
eye check, various eye conditions may have
already started to develop.
“To all the contact lens wearers out there,
when you drop by any optometrist to pur-
chase your lenses please get your eye health
checked too.
“My duty as an optometrist is not just to
help them see and feel better but to ensure
VISION SPACE,
SS2 10, JLN SS2/75,
PETALING JAYA
Perak
SL CHAN OPTOMETRIST (M) SDN BHD,
IPOH, 35, PERSIARAN GREENHILL,
IPOH, PERAK
Melaka
EYECON OPTOMETRY, MELAKA
G10, BANGUNAN KINGS HOTEL,
LEBUH AYER KEROH,
MELAKA
Chan May Ling
explains that the most
common problem
in contact lens
usage is when users
are wearing them
past their intended
duration.
Be mindful of the duration
Chan has been seeing an increasing trend
whereby customers would request their family
member to drop by and buy the lenses for
them. She wishes they would instead come in
and let her examine their eyes before making
such purchases.
“Customers who try to stretch the wear
of their contact lenses to save costs are more
likely to be the ones experiencing problems
that are completely avoidable.
“Th ey will come back and tell me the lenses
are no longer comfortable and that their eyes
are getting dry. Firstly, I will check the condi-
tion of the eye and tell them that their lenses
have expired or have been overused. I will
advise them to stop wearing contact lenses
to let their eyes recover and opt for glasses
for a couple of days instead.”
Chan has been partnering up with Johnson
& Johnson Vision for over a decade.
“Th eir reproducibility is very good and if
you visit their Johnson & Johnson Institute
in Th ailand and Beijing, they place utmost
importance for their patient’s vision. Th ey
have also got commitments when it comes to
eye care. Johnson & Johnson contact lenses
are produced in US and Ireland with strict
standards."
Caring for her customers
In her nearly two decades of practice, Chan
has seen her fair share of customers and eye
conditions.
“What makes it rewarding is when my
customers are thankfu l for my assistance in
restoring and preserving vision.”
She hopes that everyone will take note of
her advice.
“Please comply with the instructions and
advice provided by the optometrists and if
possible, use daily lenses. Be sure to consult a
qualifi ed, registered optometrist, and please
get an eye checkup before purchasing your
contact lenses.” — Th e Health
Johor
EYEFLEX OPTOMETRIST,
JOHOR BAHRU LOT 102, FIRST FLOOR,
KOMTAR, JOHOR BAHRU CITY CENTRE CHAN MAY MAY OPTOMETRIST,
PULAU TIKUS 306, JALAN BURMA,
PULAU TIKUS, GEORGETOWN,
PULAU PINANG
FLEXZOOM OPTOMETRIST,
JOHOR BAHRU
NO.149 & 151, JALAN DEDAP 4,
TAMAN JOHOR JAYA, JOHOR BAHRU CHAN VISUAL CARE OPTOMETRIST,
BAYAN LEPAS 3A-2-13, JLN RUMBIA,
KOMPLEKS BUKIT JAMBUL, BAYAN LEPAS,
PULAU PINANG
Penang:
I VIEW OPTOMETRIST,
BUKIT MERTAJAM 46, GROUND FLOOR,
JLN BAYU MUTIARA 1, TAMAN BAYU MUTIARA,
PULAU PINANG Sarawak
ANNA EYECARE OPTOMETRY, KUCHING
LOT 479, GROUND FLOOR & FIRST FLOOR,
JALAN RUBBER, KUCHING