Contact lenses raise eye infection risk

Contact lenses may increase the risk of eye infections by altering the make-up of bacteria living on the eyeball, research has shown.

Researchers found the lenses appeared to transfer bugs from the skin to the eye, upsetting the bacterial ecosystem and triggering infections and inflammation.

Lead scientist Dr Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, from NYU Langone Medical Centre in New York City, said: “Our research clearly shows that putting a foreign object, such as a contact lens, on the eye is not a neutral act.