According to a study, contact lenses may be’shedding’ microplastics into your eyes.
According to recent research, your contact lenses may be leaking microplastics into your eyes.
Contact lenses are used by up to 140 million people globally.
However, the visual aids might contribute to harmful plastic pollution.
Researchers predict that glasses worn for 10 hours a day could shed more than 90,000 microplastic particles annually in a study that was published by the American Chemical Society.
The scientists declared, “Our study reveals an unappreciated pathway of direct human exposure to microplastic.”
What are microplastics, and how can they impact human health?
There are microplastics everywhere, which are minute pieces of plastic up to 5mm long. People unintentionally consume up to five grammes of micro and nanoplastics per week, according to a 2022 study. This is comparable to a credit card in many ways.
The phenomena might have detrimental effects on health.
The minuscule particles contaminate foetuses and remain in human blood and organs. According to recent studies, they could be able to cause carcinogenesis, the process that results in malignant alterations, in cells.
How did scientists test contact lenses for microplastics?
Six different types of reusable contact lenses with differing lifespans and brands were collected by scientists.
The lenses were kept in water, exposed to a lamp that simulated sunlight, and washed three times every 10 hours to simulate typical wear and tear.
Scientists looked at the water the lenses were stored in after it had received 30 or 90 days of sunshine.
They discovered that glasses that shed microplastics more frequently had shorter lives.
The authors demanded “urgent” investigation into the effects of these small particles on human health.
