Have you ever stopped to consider what happens to your contacts when you throw them away? Everything that we do has some sort of impact on the earth, and disposable contact lenses are no different! Keep reading to learn why getting LASIK is the green option for vision correction!
The Trouble With Disposable Contact Lenses
If you wear contact lenses, then you know that you’re always having to replace them. After all, disposable contacts are only good for a month at a time. If you wear dailies, then you’re replacing contacts every single day.
Throwing away your contacts is one thing, but many people report different methods. Some people throw their contacts down the drain, while others flush them down the toilet.
You might not think twice about it, but these are not good ways to dispose of your contacts! Recent studies conducted by scientists indicate that contact lenses break down over time. For bottom feeder fish, this is bad news.
When a contact lens breaks down, it will become a microplastic. Flushing contacts down the toilet mean they can eventually make it into a water supply. Microplastics often look like food to fish and can mess up their digestion. Even worse, if microplastics from contacts are being eaten by fish, you could ingest it too!
The Long-Term Effect Of Contacts On The Environment
The microplastic problem extends further than just bodies of water. When contact lenses are thrown away in the trash, it’s likely they’ll end up in landfills. In a landfill, they are likely to sit for years. Once they get to that landfill, they could eventually make it into the soil.
If microplastics from contact lenses are in the soil, this is bad. This can affect birds, as well as any other animals that eat food grown in the soil. Again, as demonstrated by bottom feeder fish in water, this can be ingested by humans.
We are not made to eat plastic and our bodies are not made to break it down. Wouldn’t it be so much easier to forget about wearing contact lenses all together? The earth would definitely thank you!
LASIK Is The Green Solution
You’ve probably had contacts for a long time and don’t want to go back to wearing glasses. But what can you do help the environment? Bausch & Lomb has introduced a contact lens recycling program. This lets you recycle your contacts, even if they are a different brand.
The other solution to consider is LASIK. Each year, 45 million people in the United States are wearing contacts. If that number decreases because people get LASIK, there will be fewer contacts lens waste.
LASIK is an investment not only for your eyes but also the environment around you. Over time, LASIK will pay for itself and help the environment! Say goodbye to disposable contact lenses and those pesky contact lens cases! When you get LASIK, no additional waste is created. You can see clearly and help the environment at the same time!
Want more information about how LASIK is the greener solution? Schedule a consultation with the team at Stahl Eyecare Experts today!
