Wang Yuanyuan
FENG YUNQIAN has gone to a doctor feeling uncomfortable after wearing colored contact lenses bought in Dongmen in Luohu District for three months.
My eyes became red, felt dry and were aching, said Feng, a student at Shenzhen University. My doctor told me I had inflammation of the cornea and told me to remove my lenses. The inflammation disappeared three days after I stopped wearing the lenses, she said yesterday.
She bought the lenses for 36 yuan (US$5.44) in a small store in Dongmen and the blue lenses made her eyes look big and shiny. The shop owner told me they were imported from South Korea and could be worn for a year without any problems, she said.
Colored contact lenses have become popular with young people in Shenzhen and many stores in Dongmen have started selling them for only about 30 yuan.
However, eye specialists warned against wearing cheap contact lenses because they could cause blindness if worn for long.
Most of the lenses sold in small stores in Dongmen were bought from Zhongwei Glasses Wholesale Market in Dongmen which bought the lenses in Guangzhou, said Lu Yong, a wholesaler.
Our lenses are made in factories in Shenzhen and Dongguan. The cost of a pair is only about 5 yuan and the wholesale price is 10 yuan. I m not sure if the quality is certified but not many people have complained, Lu said.
According to regulations, contact lenses are regarded as a medical aid because they have to be put into the human body. Stores that sell contact lenses should have the approval of the drug administration authority.
Our shop follows the regulations strictly and all contact lenses, including colored ones, are from qualified factories, said a sales manager named Zhang Lingling at a Lens and Craft Optical shop in Luohu District. A pair of colored lenses sells for between 95 and 399 yuan.
Unqualified lenses could cause diseases such as conjunctivitis and keratitis and even corneal ulcers and blindness. Residents should immediately stop using contact lenses at the first sign of discomfort, said Fu Xuejun, director of ophthalmology department at Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital.
