Announcements

Keep Your Eyes Safe This Halloween

Don’t let your Halloween turn into a nightmare because of an eye infection. Decorative contact lenses are medical devices like other contact lenses. Wearing decorative contact lenses without being properly fitted by an eye care provider can lead to serious problems – ulcers (open sores), scratches, infection, and vision loss—and haunt you long after October 31.

No prescription? Think twice!

3 Tips to Follow When Using Decorative Lenses

1. GET A PRESCRIPTION: Contact lenses acquired without wear and care education and a prescription are illegal and could lead to serious eye injury or infection.
2. CHECK YOUR BUYING SOURCE: Decorative contact lenses purchased from costume shops, online stores, beauty salons, drug stores, flea markets, or anywhere not issued by an eye doctor will not properly fit.
3. PROTECT YOUR EYES: One night is not worth your eye health. The best way to protect your eyes from potential complications is to talk to your eye doctor and learn about healthy contact lens wear and care habits.

Help us get the word out!

This week, CDC will be sharing Halloween contact lens health tips via our social media sites. Help us spread the word by “liking,” commenting on, and sharing our messages. We encourage you to share our new Halloween buttons on your websites, blogs, and social media channels. You can join us by spreading the word in the following ways:

• Celebrate virtually on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
  • Look for and use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare and/or #Halloween
  • Download pre-drafted educational social media messages
  • Share CDC’s Contact Lenses digital buttons
  • Print posters to promote healthy contact lens wear and care habits
• Check with your eye care providers for free tear-off pads that have important contact lens tips.

Today kicks off the third annual Contact Lens Health Week! This year’s campaign theme is “healthy habits mean healthy eyes.” Contact Lens Health Week aims to increase public awareness and promote healthy contact lens wear and care. Increasing awareness about the importance of proper contact lens hygiene can encourage wearers to adopt healthy habits that can help prevent their chances of getting an eye infection. See below for an overview of the promotional opportunities and events to keep an eye out for this week!

For more information visit: http://go.usa.gov/xDT5G.

Twitter Chat

To start the week, there will be a Twitter Chat today, August 22, from12 – 1 pm ET. The chat will be hosted by @CDC_ehealth and @CBShealth at #HealthyContactsChat and will cover:

• Risky contact lens behaviors
• Benefits of proper contact lens use
• Tips for healthy contact lens wear and care
• New data released by CDC on contact lens-related eye infections
• Educational resources available to promote healthy contact lens wear and care

Our partners will participate by retweeting, responding to questions, or tweeting live messages during the chat. To participate, follow @CDC_ehealth and @CBShealth, and use the hashtag #HealthyContactsChat during the chat to view and respond to tweets. CDC Healthy Contacts expert Dr. Jennifer Cope will be joining the chat via @CDC_NCEZID.

MMWR

Last week, CDC released new data on contact lens-related eye infections in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The report looked at cases of contact lens-related eye infections reported to the Food and Drug Administration’s Medical Device Reporting database. Nearly 1 in 5 reported infections involved a patient who experienced eye damage and more than 1 out of 4 reports mentioned easily avoidable behaviors that increase the chance of eye infection. These data demonstrate that contact lens-related eye infections can lead to long-lasting damage, but are often preventable.

Contact lens wearers can help prevent infections by taking proper care of their contact lenses. Three key habits to reduce the likelihood of infection, include:

1. Don’t sleep in contact lenses
2. Don’t top off, or add new solution to old solution in your case for contact lens storage
3. Do replace contact lenses as often as recommended by your eye doctor

For more information on the MMWR, see the full article: http://go.usa.gov/xDZhz.

Health Promotion Materials

The CDC has developed promotional materials you can use to promote healthy contact lens wear and care throughout the week.

• Campaign promotion toolkit with promotion/outreach suggestions, resources/links, campaign blurbs for newsletters, and campaign messages for use on social media platforms
• Buttons and badges to promote Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care
• Social media library with campaign messages and general messages about healthy contact lens wear and care (use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare on social media)
• Posters for promoting Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care

The week of August 24-28, 2015, marks the second annual Contact Lens Health Week! This year’s campaign theme is “Healthy habits mean healthy eyes.”

CDC and partners created Contact Lens Health Week in 2014 to promote healthy contact lens wear and care practices that can help prevent eye infections associated with improper contact lens use. Contact Lens Health Week 2015 was moved to August to coincide with “back to school” health promotion efforts. This year’s campaign primarily targets teenage contact lens wearers, their parents, and eye care providers, but also includes messages and materials suitable for all contact lens wearers. As teens head back to school, reinforcing proper contact lens wear and care can promote good vision and healthy eyes throughout the school year and throughout life.

Health messages cover three key areas:

• Healthy contact lens hygiene habits
• Proper use, care, and storage of contact lenses and supplies
• Regular visits to an eye care provider

On August 20, CDC released a report that found more than 99% of contact lens wearers may be engaging in at least one behavior known to increase their risk of eye infections. The results presented in this report highlight the need for education efforts to improve contact lens hygiene behaviors. We encourage eye care providers, parents, college campus organizations, public health practitioners, and contact lens industry representatives to help us relay campaign messages to teenage contact lens wearers.

Twitter Chat: Join Us!

To kick off the week, CDC is hosting a Twitter Chat on Monday, August 24 from 12 – 1 pm ET. The chat will be hosted by @CDCgov at #HealthyContactsChat and will cover:

• Risks of improper contact lens use.
• Benefits of proper contact lens wear and care.
• Tips for healthy contact lens wear and care.
• Educational resources available to promote healthy contact lens wear and care.

Our partners will participate by retweeting, responding to questions, or tweeting live messages during the chat. Please join us by following #HealthyContactsChat and sharing your thoughts!

2015 Campaign Promotion Materials

CDC has also developed promotional materials you can use to promote healthy contact lens wear and care during the campaign week.

• Campaign promotion toolkit with promotion/outreach suggestions, resources/links, campaign blurbs for newsletters and campaign messages for use on social media platforms
• Buttons and badges to promote Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care
• Social media library with campaign messages and general messages about healthy contact lens wear and care (use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare on social media)
• Posters for promoting Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care

CDC’s Healthy Contact Lenses Program is pleased to announce exciting new additions to our website in preparation for the second annual Contact Lens Health Week, August 24-28, 2015.
Contact Lens Health Week 2015 has been moved to August to coincide with “back to school” health promotion efforts. The theme for this year’s observance is Healthy Habits Mean Healthy Eyes, and it targets teenage contact lens wearers, their parents, and eye care providers. Messages and materials are also suitable for contact lens wearers of all other ages.
Visit our website for new Contact Lens Health Week 2015 materials:

• Start planning your Contact Lens Health Week 2015 celebration with our new toolkit.
• Order free posters and tear-off pads, thanks to generous financial support from the Contact Lens Institute.
• Download and share Contact Lens Health Week 2015 posters and web buttons.
• Tweet and post about Contact Lens Health Week 2015 using our new social media messages (#OnePairTakeCare).

The CDC Healthy Contact Lenses Program announces the first annual Contact Lens Health Week coming in November and new web content to further promote healthy contact lens wear and care.

Contact Lens Health Week 2014: November 17-21

CDC and partners created Contact Lens Health Week in 2014 to promote healthy contact lens wear and care practices that can help prevent eye infections associated with improper contact lens use. The first annual Contact Lens Health Week is November 17-21, 2014. This year’s campaign theme is “You only have one pair of eyes, so take care of them!” The target audience is contact lens wearers ages 18-22—a group at increased risk of eye infections associated with contact lens wear.

We encourage eye care providers, college campus organizations, public health practitioners, and contact lens industry representatives to help us relay campaign messages to contact lens wearers. CDC has developed materials you can use to promote healthy contact lens wear and care during the campaign week.

2014 Campaign Promotion Materials

• Campaign promotion toolkit with promotion/outreach suggestions, resources/links, campaign blurbs for newsletters and campaign messages for use on social media platforms
• Buttons and badges to promote Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care
• Social media library with campaign messages and general messages about healthy contact lens wear and care (use the hashtag #OnePairTakeCare on social media)
• Posters for promoting Contact Lens Health Week and healthy contact lens wear and care

The CDC Healthy Contact Lenses Program has also developed new web content and materials for promoting healthy contact lens wear and care throughout the year.

New web content

• Children and Contact Lenses page that explains the risks, benefits, and wear and care recommendations to parents of children who are current or potential contact lens wearers
• Decorative Contact Lenses page that provides information on the risks of wearing contact lenses without a prescription and tips for proper wear and care of decorative lenses
• Newsroom, Features, Observances & Announcements
• Spanish language translation of healthy contact lens wear and care recommendations

Updates to Healthy Contact Lens Wear and Care main page

New health promotion materials

• 4 EyeWise posters for college-aged contact lens wearers
• 2 new sections in the social media library for Contact Lens Health Week and AAO Scary Eyes Campaign
• 3 web buttons for Contact Lens Health Week
• 2 posters for Contact Lens Health Week

CDC’s Healthy Contact Lenses Program, which began in July 2013, is pleased to announce several new additions to the Healthy Contact Lens Wear and Care website—now presented in a mobile-friendly format.

New health promotion materials

• 1 infographic: Contact Lenses Are Like Underwear
• 1 poster: Healthy Habits = Healthy Eyes

New web content

• Updated look for contact lens wear and care recommendations
• Special tips for hard (or rigid gas permeable) contact lens wearers
• A Newsroom page, including news media about the Healthy Contact Lenses program
• An Announcements page, showing releases of new content, materials, and updates
• New organization of health promotion materials, which now includes:
  • Buttons & Badges
  • Infographics
  • Podcasts
  • Posters
  • Mobile apps
  • Social media library NEW!
  • Other partner materials

CDC’s Healthy Contact Lenses Program, which began in July 2013, is now pleased to announce several new additions to the Healthy Contact Lens Wear and Care website—now presented in a mobile-friendly format.

New web pages:

• Updated contact lens wear and care recommendations
• Benefits of vision correction with contact lenses 
• Infections and other complications associated with contact lenses

New health promotion materials:

• 1 infographic: You Only Have One Pair of Eyes
• 4 posters: Your Habits, Your Gear, & Your Eye Doctor 
• 2 podcasts: Healthy Contacts (HHS) & Healthy Contact Lens Wear and Care (CDC)
• 3 web buttons: Contact Lenses and Water Don’t Mix & Contact Lens Tips from CDC

CDC, with generous financial support from the Contact Lens Institute (CLI), has worked in collaboration with the contact lens industry, FDA, academia, and professional organizations to develop clear messages about healthy contact lens wear and care.