About one year ago I completely stopped wearing contact lenses as my eyes had become so sore and sensitive that I was unable to wear them without being in pain. It was at first difficult for me to feel comfortable / confident socialising in my eyeglasses (spectacles) as I had become so used to wearing contact lenses every day.
I first started wearing contacts aged 11 as I competed in lots of sport and eyeglasses were not suitable – especially for gymnastics. As I got older (and unfortunately less sporty) I mainly wore contact lenses for vanity reasons, however I am past vanity these days and I now feel good and attractive when wearing my eyeglasses.
(Images above: Glasses can be cool just look at Johnny Depp and Lisa Loeb)
As I stopped using my contact lenses I started to think about all of those lens cases that I had used over the years, the large bottles of solution and the general production waste and energy used to create contact lenses. It then occurred to me:
“Are contact lenses bad for the environment?”
Whilst I have been thinking about this for awhile I never researched into it, until now! However whilst searching the oracle (the internet) I struggled to find relevant information other than a few people raising concerns about whether they could recycle their contact lens solution bottles and lens holders (no answer discovered).
For those of you who have never worn contact lenses, then let me tell you there are quite a few different types these days, ranging from lenses that you can sleep in, to daily disposables (throw away each day), to monthly lenses and to contact lenses that can last a year.
How much waste do they create?
Now you may think that the daily disposables will create more waste as each day you throw them and their packaging away. However with daily disposables you tend not to use cleaning solution so the waste material may be lower compared to monthly lenses where you will have a new pair of lenses each month, a lenses case and then bottles of cleaning solution. But then the energy put into creating the daily lenses could require further energy consumption? Hhmmm like my vision, it’s not all perfectly clear!
If anyone has researched into this and has any quanitative data about the impact of contact lenses and the environment I would be very interested. However as mentioned I am now back to wearing my eyeglasses and I doubt that I will wear contact lenses again due to the sensitivity of my eyes. My question now is:
“How eco friendly are eyeglasses?”
What I do know is that since only wearing my eyeglasses I have not produced as much waste in the form of solution bottles etc. But what about the material and production used to create eyeglasses? Are they eco friendly? Again I consulted the oracle and really struggled to find information on any eco friendly glasses with the exception of a post titled “Gold & Wood Spectacles, the Green Option for Eyewear?” written by Petz Scholtus at Treehugger.
They featured a pair of eyeglasses by Gold & Wood which were made out of precious and exotic woods, taken from authorised and supervised plantations from different African countries, Brazil and Canada. I am a little sceptical as was Petz as to whether taking exotic wood from such countries is very sustainable. The company also make eyeglasses from buffalo horn which is a definite NO for me.
So now I am going to ask the same as what Petz asked:
“What material has the lowest environmental impact when it comes to making eyeglasses?”
Petz suggested frameless glasses, however they are not suitable for everyone for many reasons, including if like me you have a strong pescription then the frameless glasses lend up looking like jam jars.
I personally think that recycled waste would be the best material for the frames of eyeglasses; however I could not find any companies which do this.
So all of you budding entrepreneurs, it looks like there is a niche in the market for eco eyeglasses. I challenge someone to research this and set up an ethical, eco friendly eyeglasses range.
I promise that whoever sets up such a company that I will buy at least one pair from you – though they better last as I probably will not change the frames (though I have to change lenses as my eyes get worse) for a long long time! Next question…
“Can you recycle your eyeglasses?”
Yes you certainly can, as Arcadia has previously pointed out in America (and Australia and the UK) you can recycle your old eyeglasses through local Lion Clubs. In the UK there are a few other places that you can recycle your eyeglasses too including Vision Aid Overseas and the Second Site Project.
There is another interesting way to recycle the lenses from your eyeglasses and that is by turning into a chandelier (pictured below) as did Salvage pioneer Stuart Haygarth.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
oops hope I’m not posting twice
Very interesting question. I tend to think you nailed it with the packaging. I wear the same pair of glasses for several years and when I bought them they came in a little case you can use over. In that time there must be enough packaging for monthly contacts to fill a dumpster. I know how you feel I can’t where contacts either :0)
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Thanks Keith for your comment. I think that glasses are definetly more sustainable.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
A good read, as I wear glasses myself. I think the challenge for recycled glasses is an excellent one at that too! My immediate thought, only a couple lines in, was, “Of course glasses are more eco-friendly!” Although, I haven’t ever seen this subject approached before. Good call for the subject of this article. I hope it inspires more discussion, and innovation!
I also rep for an eco-friendly & Fair Trade jewelry & homewares company (-full disclosure-). It just so happens that we also produce products that include Buffalo Horn. Although I can completely understand why eco-friendly consumers would reject this notion, there are some really things about Buffalo Horn that I’ve learned about while working for Verlu that I think you may find quite interesting. First off, this is a byproduct, something that would just go to waste if not used. Second, normally this is NOT a farmed animal; while we do source from a slaughter house, it is not until those Water Buffalo have lived very long lives working on farms - as they are considered most valuable as so, and their meat is considered to be of extremely poor quality. Buffalo is merely a protein source for the severely impoverished, those that really have no other options to obtain this type of nutrient. Lastly, Buffalo Horn has been used in medical practices for generations and it’s considered an ideal material for measuring and mixing, because it will not have a chemical reaction with anything. So it’s perfectly sterile, and incredibly strong too.
I’m sure that this information will not sway many minds (if any), and I have no qualms with that - nor am I trying to pick any fights, to each their own. I personally find the properties and purposes fascinating, and do take some solace in the fact that these animals live very long, meaningful lives (I’m not one to judge the farm practices that have obviously worked well for some cultures for hundreds of years, I don’t live those lives). I also have to admit that buffalo horn has a stunning look to it too; naturally black, yet can vary quite a bit in translucency and often has swirls of cream in it too. Truth be told, the Verlu products that have horn in them are by far some of our best sellers, and we mainly have eco-friendly clientèle.
I’m actually quite tempted by the Gold & Wood horn glasses. To be perfectly fair, you neglected to mention that Petz reported that the horn glasses they make come from cattle that are not harmed in the process, and that their horns grow back. Knowing what I do about horn, this almost makes it a done deal for me - and I’m going to see if our production house has access to these kinds of farms in Indonesia too! Even though we have been dedicated to running a socially responsible business for over twenty years now, we’re always looking for new ways to improve our “green factor.”
April 19th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Although I wouldn’t be without my contacts, I very much agree that all the paraphernalia that comes with them is excessive. I actually sent an email last night to Alcon about the excessive packaging surrounding their small bottles of Opti-Free Replenish provided to optometrists as samples for their patients. Also, I found your post because I was searching for some interesting ideas on recycling the about 50 brand new and unused contact lens cases I have accumulated over the years. There must be something interesting to be done with them!
April 19th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I always got antique, used frames at an antique store and then got the lens put in. A little less waste then getting brand new frames, and also they look super hip & unique
April 19th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
I recently got contacts, and I’ve been wondering that lately too-Are my contacts having a large negative impact on the envrioment? How much power does it take to allow me to wear my contacts? And does anybody know-Is there any way I can recycle my contacts? I know glasses are probably better, but I love my contacts. How bad are they for our world?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
It is possible to use your own home made hydrogen peroxide solution to clean and store contact lenses. There are instructions on the web.
Also you can reuse your glasses frames by haveing the eyeglasses place swap out the lenses from your existing frames when your prescription chages.
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Thanks for all of your comments on my post about glasses versus contact lenses; it’s great to see that it has really got people thinking. I know that most people will probably have read the title and though like heather that “Of course glasses are more eco-friendly!” However it’s great that ideas have come forward on how we can
I recently received a marketing letter from my opticians promoting buy one pair of glasses and get another free, which got me thinking “Are glasses now becoming part of the fast fashion syndrome?” I have one pair of glasses which I use every day and one pair which has transition lenses which is great when I am doing outdoor activity. However I can imagine that some people change their glasses on an annual basis or even have quite a few different pairs for different occasions. I would like a pair suitable for more dressy occasions so psychologically I feel a little more glamorous however instead of buying frames from the opticians I may take Leslie’s advice and get a pair of used frame or even an antique pair .
With regards to the waste from contact lenses I think that we need to persuade the manufactures to change their ways. For example I appreciate that good hygiene needs to be obeyed when it comes to eye care, however a new contact lenses case is not needed as often as they are provided. Good sterilization using hot water is good enough and at least you will not end up with 50 lens cases like Jan in San Francisco has. In terms of how to re-use or recycle unwanted lens cases I am not sure, perhaps it would make a good competition I may writ another post soon encouraging people to submit their ideas.
In the mean time I would love to hear more thoughts about this topic and also to find out if any company has took up the challenge yet of making frames out of recycled material.
Thanks!
Anna-Lisa
June 9th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
thank you anna lisa; I found your post by googling “contact lenses” and “environment” and its nice to see other people have thought about this too; its an important issue, because its the environmental impact of the small stuff like contact lenses, that people will usually dismiss, though, the reality is that its the sum of the small stuff that leads to the big problem. If we think about the impact of small stuff like contact lenses, then we necessarily need to be concerned about the bigger offenders like plastic bottles, wasteful packaging…etc. Its important to remember that every little bit counts, and the more we shun the small, but wasteful habits, and strive to live simpler lives, the more we gravitate to a way of living that is more rewarding and more respectful of the earth and all the beings that inhabit it.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Hi Richard, glad that you liked the post - the small stuff is so important, I am going to write some similar posts soon concentrating on simple every day activities that could help to make a big difference.
Now that you have found the blog I hope that you continue to read it!
July 20th, 2008 at 4:34 am
great topic. i know allyn scura eyewear is involved in environmental stuff (www.allynscura.com/environment.htm). there’s a bunch of “green” info at that link.
i agree, when a green eyeglass becomes available, i’ll be in line with you!
September 11th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I have also been wondering about this, is it more justified because I recycle the packaging on my contacts? I can’t drive in my glasses because I don’t see as well and I work in the auto industry so contacts and 20/20 vision are important to me. Is there a company that make their contact packaging out of recycled paper?