Left contact is consistently damaged in the same spot - sign of eye problem?

Hello,

I wear contacts and for the past two months or so my left contact consistently deteriorates in the same area far sooner than the two-week toss date. When I take it out and inspect it, it looks like a row of holes, spots or specks of something just below the center of the contact. Whatever it is can't be cleaned off. I do not wear waterproof mascara. Obviously, it collects dirt and blocks my vision before I toss them, which I do, but it happens again every time, same area of the contact, same damage on it. My right contact is always clean and my eyes are healthy, as far as I know, though I've wondered if the color of my eyes have changed, if that's even possibly.

Clearly, this is both expensive (tossing so many contacts before the two-week date) and disconcerting. I know it could be one of two things: my left eye has a problem of some sort or I have a bad habit of some sort that ruins my contact. Any thoughts on what this could be?

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

I am guessing you are wearing soft contact lenses.  These lenses typically float and spin on the eye.  For you to get damage in the same spot every time the lens would have to move very little, which suggests the fit it too tight.  However if you have been wearing these exact contacts for awhile and this is a new issue, then you might have a bad box.  Call whomever you get your contacts from to ask about it.