> When gas permeable hard contacts get scratches. What
> actually happens to the lens? Can anyone point me to any
> site with magnified view of a lens surface? I'd like to understand
> what goes on when polishing is done to "remove" the
> scratches. The technician said some scratches are deep
> and can't be removed. Can these cause corneal ulcers?
> How doe scratched lens surfaces damage the cornea?
> I'd like to kinda imagine what goes on between the cornea
> and lens with scratches and how does the frictions or
> contact occurs. Thanks.

> Noke

> The discomfort of "scratched" lenses comes from the ridges, not the furrow.
> Anything that scratches will open the epithelium so germs can penetrate.
> Ulcers usually start from broken epithelium and it doesn't really matter
> what caused the break. And one good way to get ulcers is to scratch the
> epithelium then keep it covered with a nasty contact lens. Normally ulcers
> are prevented by the cleaning action of blinking and the antibacterial
> lysosyme in tears.

> Polishing removes the ridges, along with calcified deposits and other
> "protruding" imperfections. To remove the furrow, you'd have to resurface
> the lens completely, reducing its thickness uniformly to match the deepest
> scratch. That's very difficult to do with a polishing pad; you'd want a
> surfacing tool and you'll still break some lenses.

> The furrows aren't uncomfortable, especially after they fill up with mucus
> and debris and bio-junk. That also creates a warm gooey bed for cultivating
> bacteria and fungi.

> Scratches that are "too deep to remove" will still feel better after
> polishing. They can also be full of polishing compound and ground-up lens
> material for a while.

> -MT

> "Noke" <gad.g...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> news:7592be83-840f-4bc1-89ce-ef56f835713a@a9g2000prl.googlegroups.com...

> > Hi,

> > When gas permeable hard contacts get scratches. What
> > actually happens to the lens? Can anyone point me to any
> > site with magnified view of a lens surface? I'd like to understand
> > what goes on when polishing is done to "remove" the
> > scratches. The technician said some scratches are deep
> > and can't be removed. Can these cause corneal ulcers?
> > How doe scratched lens surfaces damage the cornea?
> > I'd like to kinda imagine what goes on between the cornea
> > and lens with scratches and how does the frictions or
> > contact occurs. Thanks.

> > Noke- Hide quoted text -

> - Show quoted text -

> The discomfort of "scratched" lenses comes from the ridges, not the
> furrow.
> Anything that scratches will open the epithelium so germs can penetrate.
> Ulcers usually start from broken epithelium and it doesn't really matter
> what caused the break. And one good way to get ulcers is to scratch the
> epithelium then keep it covered with a nasty contact lens. Normally ulcers
> are prevented by the cleaning action of blinking and the antibacterial
> lysosyme in tears.

> Polishing removes the ridges, along with calcified deposits and other
> "protruding" imperfections. To remove the furrow, you'd have to resurface
> the lens completely, reducing its thickness uniformly to match the deepest
> scratch. That's very difficult to do with a polishing pad; you'd want a
> surfacing tool and you'll still break some lenses.

> The furrows aren't uncomfortable, especially after they fill up with mucus
> and debris and bio-junk. That also creates a warm gooey bed for
> cultivating
> bacteria and fungi.

> Scratches that are "too deep to remove" will still feel better after
> polishing. They can also be full of polishing compound and ground-up lens
> material for a while.

> -MT

> "Noke" <gad.g...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> news:7592be83-840f-4bc1-89ce-ef56f835713a@a9g2000prl.googlegroups.com...

> > Hi,

> > When gas permeable hard contacts get scratches. What
> > actually happens to the lens? Can anyone point me to any
> > site with magnified view of a lens surface? I'd like to understand
> > what goes on when polishing is done to "remove" the
> > scratches. The technician said some scratches are deep
> > and can't be removed. Can these cause corneal ulcers?
> > How doe scratched lens surfaces damage the cornea?
> > I'd like to kinda imagine what goes on between the cornea
> > and lens with scratches and how does the frictions or
> > contact occurs. Thanks.

> > Noke- Hide quoted text -

> - Show quoted text -

> >In other words. Even the furrows with polished edge will not do good
> >and one has to replace the entire lens everytime there is any trace
> >of scratches in the gas permeable hard contacts?? Thanks.

> Not in my opinion, for what that's worth.

> -MT

>  in messagenews:bdfff537-fddc-4769-b817-fe0797259a79@u12g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 2, 9:08 pm, "Mike Tyner" <mty...@mindspring.com> wrote:

> > It's like the furrow a plow leaves. The material you remove from the
> > furrow
> > forms ridges on either side.

> > The discomfort of "scratched" lenses comes from the ridges, not the
> > furrow.
> > Anything that scratches will open the epithelium so germs can penetrate.
> > Ulcers usually start from broken epithelium and it doesn't really matter
> > what caused the break. And one good way to get ulcers is to scratch the
> > epithelium then keep it covered with a nasty contact lens. Normally ulcers
> > are prevented by the cleaning action of blinking and the antibacterial
> > lysosyme in tears.

> > Polishing removes the ridges, along with calcified deposits and other
> > "protruding" imperfections. To remove the furrow, you'd have to resurface
> > the lens completely, reducing its thickness uniformly to match the deepest
> > scratch. That's very difficult to do with a polishing pad; you'd want a
> > surfacing tool and you'll still break some lenses.

> > The furrows aren't uncomfortable, especially after they fill up with mucus
> > and debris and bio-junk. That also creates a warm gooey bed for
> > cultivating
> > bacteria and fungi.

> > Scratches that are "too deep to remove" will still feel better after
> > polishing. They can also be full of polishing compound and ground-up lens
> > material for a while.

> > -MT

> > "Noke" <gad.g...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> >news:7592be83-840f-4bc1-89ce-ef56f835713a@a9g2000prl.googlegroups.com...

> > > Hi,

> > > When gas permeable hard contacts get scratches. What
> > > actually happens to the lens? Can anyone point me to any
> > > site with magnified view of a lens surface? I'd like to understand
> > > what goes on when polishing is done to "remove" the
> > > scratches. The technician said some scratches are deep
> > > and can't be removed. Can these cause corneal ulcers?
> > > How doe scratched lens surfaces damage the cornea?
> > > I'd like to kinda imagine what goes on between the cornea
> > > and lens with scratches and how does the frictions or
> > > contact occurs. Thanks.

> > > Noke- Hide quoted text -

> > - Show quoted text -

> In other words. Even the furrows with polished edge will not do good
> and one has to replace the entire lens everytime there is any trace
> of scratches in the gas permeable hard contacts?? Thanks.

> Noke- Hide quoted text -

> - Show quoted text -

> > "Noke" <gad.g...@yahoo.com> wrote

> > >In other words. Even the furrows with polished edge will not do good
> > >and one has to replace the entire lens everytime there is any trace
> > >of scratches in the gas permeable hard contacts?? Thanks.

> > Not in my opinion, for what that's worth.

> > -MT

> >  in messagenews:bdfff537-fddc-4769-b817-fe0797259a79@u12g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> > On Jul 2, 9:08 pm, "Mike Tyner" <mty...@mindspring.com> wrote:

> > > It's like the furrow a plow leaves. The material you remove from the
> > > furrow
> > > forms ridges on either side.

> > > The discomfort of "scratched" lenses comes from the ridges, not the
> > > furrow.
> > > Anything that scratches will open the epithelium so germs can penetrate.
> > > Ulcers usually start from broken epithelium and it doesn't really matter
> > > what caused the break. And one good way to get ulcers is to scratch the
> > > epithelium then keep it covered with a nasty contact lens. Normally ulcers
> > > are prevented by the cleaning action of blinking and the antibacterial
> > > lysosyme in tears.

> > > Polishing removes the ridges, along with calcified deposits and other
> > > "protruding" imperfections. To remove the furrow, you'd have to resurface
> > > the lens completely, reducing its thickness uniformly to match the deepest
> > > scratch. That's very difficult to do with a polishing pad; you'd want a
> > > surfacing tool and you'll still break some lenses.

> > > The furrows aren't uncomfortable, especially after they fill up with mucus
> > > and debris and bio-junk. That also creates a warm gooey bed for
> > > cultivating
> > > bacteria and fungi.

> > > Scratches that are "too deep to remove" will still feel better after
> > > polishing. They can also be full of polishing compound and ground-up lens
> > > material for a while.

> > > -MT

> About the furrows that can cultivate bacteria and fungi. Can't
> cleaning
> the lens each night remove the contents in the furrows? What would
> it take to remove it? I ordered a pair of gas permeable hard contact
> from a manufacturer. The right side doesn't have scratch, but
> unfortunately, the left side has a scratch in the middle. They
> polished
> it and there is still a trace of the scratch and they won't replace
> it.
> I can wait a week and order elsewhere but my present contact even
> has more scratches (about 20). So I am wondering whether to get
> it now or wait one more week for a new lens from another manufacturer.
> The decision depends on knowing whether a single furrow is harmful.
> Usually what would it take to remove the contents in the furrows like
> polishing compound and ground-up lens material? What ingreidents
> are polishing compound made of? Is it harmful to eyes? How
> about the ground-up lens material. Can it cause scratches in
> the eye? Thanks.

> Noke

> > > "Noke" <gad.g...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> > >news:7592be83-840f-4bc1-89ce-ef56f835713a@a9g2000prl.googlegroups.com...

> > > > Hi,

> > > > When gas permeable hard contacts get scratches. What
> > > > actually happens to the lens? Can anyone point me to any
> > > > site with magnified view of a lens surface? I'd like to understand
> > > > what goes on when polishing is done to "remove" the
> > > > scratches. The technician said some scratches are deep
> > > > and can't be removed. Can these cause corneal ulcers?
> > > > How doe scratched lens surfaces damage the cornea?
> > > > I'd like to kinda imagine what goes on between the cornea
> > > > and lens with scratches and how does the frictions or
> > > > contact occurs. Thanks.

> > > > Noke- Hide quoted text -

> > > - Show quoted text -

> > In other words. Even the furrows with polished edge will not do good
> > and one has to replace the entire lens everytime there is any trace
> > of scratches in the gas permeable hard contacts?? Thanks.

> > Noke- Hide quoted text -