The Environmental Impact of Contact Lenses
Unfortunately, contact lenses are not biodegradable. They are made with hydrogel or silicone hydrogel and break down into particles that don’t filter out, ending up in our seas and contributing to water pollution through micro-plastic waste.
The Growing Concern
There’s a lot of talk about plastic bottles, but in recent years, it has been proven that contact lenses also contribute significantly to plastic particle pollution. Despite their small size, the sheer volume of contact lenses discarded daily is substantial and should be considered waste. It is estimated that between 15% and 20% of contact lens wearers flush theirs down the sink or toilet. With 140 million contact lens wearers worldwide, this means that about 28 million people dispose of their lenses incorrectly.
The Journey of Discarded Lenses
Once flushed, contact lenses end up in sewers and wastewater treatment plants. Here, they pass through filters, but most are too small and flexible to be isolated, continuing their journey in the water. The treatment involves bacteria that destroy biological waste, but these treatments cannot completely dissolve contact lenses. Instead, they reduce them to micro fragments, leading to the formation of microplastics. As a result, these particles end up in the sea, ingested by fish and other marine animals. The thickest lenses can even reach the sea intact, depositing on the seabed along with other polluting plastics, altering the balance of our ecosystem and the digestive system of marine fauna.
What Can We Do?
- Never Flush Contact Lenses: Avoid disposing of them down the faucet or toilet.
- Dispose of Properly: Put them in the trash.
Our Role in Protecting the Planet
The health of the planet is in our hands. Even small actions like properly disposing of contact lenses can significantly slow the growth of pollution. Let’s work together to give the planet a break.
