I recently read an article highlighting a study done by the UT Southwestern Medical Center that said my 'dirty little secret' is not mine alone. 

Hoarding a thousand cats? Wearing silky bloomers?

Nope. I'm among the shameful masses that don't clean their contact lens properly. 

In a survey of more than 400 contact lens wearers, the study found that only 2 percent followed rules for safe contact use. The worst offenses were swimming or showering in contact lenses, sleeping in them, or using them after they've started to wear out. 

Check. Check. And Check. 

But, I thought, there is no way that my peers commit the same sins. We're in a professional school, where we have learned the nasty microbes. We've seen the photos of people with ulcerating eye lesions and those gone blind from infection. 

I checked in with a group of ladies who wear contact wearers. Attractive, well-groomed, smart. And I got a little relief. 

For Alex Newsome, 24, of Ballwin, there hasn't been quite enough negative reinforcement. 

"I put them in the case, and squirt the solution," Newsome said. "I don't really follow the directions, but I've never had problems and I've had contacts since sixth grade."

The problem with that, according to the follow-up article, is that a film of bacteria grows in the leftover solution, putting the user at risk for infection. 

For myself, and it seems others, a busy schedule is the ultimate culprit in careless visual hygiene. Sometimes I'll get home after a 15-hour day and it’s a push to wash my face and brush my teeth. 

Ashley Marchek, 24, is aware of her mistakes, but sometimes life interrupts proper care. 

"Being a student, I fall asleep in my contacts after a long night of studying and leave them in the following day," Marchek said. "Since money is also tight, I'll wear the same contact lens for more than their recommended use."

Only one person I talked to felt they took proper care of their contact lenses, which may be attributed to their sensitivity. 

"I wash my hands before every time and use Aosept [solution for people with sensitivities]," said Carolyn Maxfield, 23, of Ballwin.  "My contacts rip all the time too, so I try my best to take care of them."

And take care of them, we should. The authors of the study have seen some pretty nasty things, which they say can easily be avoided by not committing the aforementioned activities. Clinical ophthalmology professor Dwight Cavanagh recounted some particularly unsightly dangers in his interview with National Public Radio:

"We see patients all the time with pseudomonas ulcers, gray green pus, they go blind," he continues. "We see amoeba infections from people showering in their contacts, going swimming in lakes. These infections are horrible."

For more education on contact lens care, consider speaking with optometrists at any of these local eye care providers: 

• 20/20 Vision Care in Ballwin

• Clarkson Eyecare in Ballwin

• Crown Vision Center in Ballwin

• Cusumono Vision Center in Ellisville