A very recent online article by the Daily Mail has reported that more than 780 million used plastic contact lenses in the United Kingdom are being disposed of every single year.

97% of those 780 million are either thrown in the trash or flushed away instead of being recycled.

Why should we care?  

This means that more than 750 million lenses are either ending up in sewers, landfills or incinerators where they can convert into plastic pollution.

A contact lens and eye surgery provider in the U.K., Optical Express, conducted a study which found that 1 in 4 people in the UK either flushed their lenses into the toilet or threw them down the drain.

Since environmental awareness is currently very heightened, this poses a global crisis as microplastic particles (which make up contact lenses and are made as plastic slowly degrades) can cause pollution in our waters (rivers and oceans) and in turn can cause what no one wants to hear – the endangerment of marine life.

As consumers we absolutely have a choice as we are starting to fully comprehend what our decisions are doing to our environment.

The article in the Daily Mail explains how laser eye surgery like LASIK may actually be a huge remedy to this pollution crisis.

What happens if the 4.2 million contact lens wearers  in the United Kingdom would choose to have LASIK?  How much pollution could be averted and how much marine life could stay unharmed?

We noted of course that the article does not address how many contact lens wearers there are in the United States – but start thinking about the massive implications this has with our population added!

Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 125 million contact lens users. We don’t know about you but that stat alone makes this a global crisis on a pretty massive level.

We The Center for Excellence in Eye Care plan to take a stand against the billions of contact lens wearers who are most likely, unknowingly, unintentionally polluting our oceans and our environment.

How can we do this? 

First things first, we want to build awareness by sharing this blog article with you, so that our followers and patients can become informed and really understand the implications of this situation to properly spread the word.

If you have ever considered the environmental implications of contact lens use and you have thought about whether LASIK laser eye surgery is right  for you, we are here to let you know that screenings are FREE at our clinic!  You have nothing to lose.

Patients are welcome to schedule a complimentary screening to figure out if they are candidates for laser eye surgery and if we can help hundreds of patients in Miami and South Florida get out of contacts, then we are doing our part in helping the environment and saving marine life.

Please call us today at 305-598-2020 if this article has had any impact on you and your desire to help your vision and the environment!