Maricar Reyes says she almost had permanent eye damage due to contact lens overuse

Actress, model, and author Maricar Reyes has revealed that she nearly lost her eyesight due to improper use of colored contact lenses.

In a TikTok video that has garnered 6 million views as of this writing, she admitted her complacency throughout the more than a decade usage of contact lenses, especially during tapings for 12 to 15 hours.

Not realizing it could cause serious damage to her eyes, Reyes also did not care about using expired contact lenses.

She woke up one day with the “most excruciating eye pain” in her life.

“A few months ago, after wearing my colored contact lenses for about 12 hours, nakaramdam ako ng konting pain sa mata,” she detailed.

“I thought it’s just normal, pagod lang. So tinanggal ko ‘yung contact lenses ko before going to sleep at natulog na ako. Then at around 3 a.m., nagising ako to the most excruciating eye pain in my entire life,” she continued.

Reyes mentioned that the pain became so intolerable that she had to be rushed back and forth to the hospital’s emergency room to increase her pain medication. On her diagnosis, she found out that she had “corneal abrasions” or large scratches on the surface of her eyes where contact lenses are placed.

The actress could barely open her swollen eyes for three days due to extreme pain.

Experiencing the emergency, she could not help but still make excuses that time.

“Sa tagal-tagal ko ngang nagko-contact lens, mga 12, 15 hours sa taping — tapos minsan expired pa, bakit ngayon lang nangyayari ito?” Reyes shared, followed by a realization.

“Kahit ano pa ang excuse ko, hindi pa rin mawawala ang bottomline na naging iresponsable ako. Masyado ako naging kampante dahil for many years, walang masamang nangyayari,” she emphasized.

Reyes consulted an eye specialist or an ophthalmologist who told her that excessive usage of contact lenses lessens the oxygen that can reach one’s cornea.

“Sabi ng ophthalmologist ko, napakaswerte ko daw dahil sa laki ng mga sugat ko sa mata, pwede akong magkaroon ng mga peklat or mga puti-puti sa paningin ko, habang buhay,” she added.

The actress advised netizens to use contact lenses not more than 8 hours, avoid wearing expired ones, and consult eye specialists to also take care of their eyes.