The majority of people wear contact lenses for reasons including convenience, appearance and the wider range of vision they offer. Regardless of your reason for choosing contact lenses, it’s important to handle your lenses carefully so you can avoid infections and other eye problems.
It’s important to understand the essentials of contact lens care: caring for your contact lenses improperly can lead to eye irritation and infections, some of which can even cause blindness. The single best way to avoid eye irritation and infections is to follow proper lens care guidelines.
Here are some basic tips for taking care of and preserving your contact lenses.
- Follow the recommended wearing schedule.
- Do not substitute sterile saline solutions for multi-purpose solutions.
- Rub and rinse your contact lenses as directed by your eye care professional.
- Do not “top-off” the solutions in your case. Always discard all of the leftover contact lens solutions after each use. Never reuse any lens solution.
- Clean, rinse and air-dry your lens case each time lenses are removed.
- Do not expose your contact lenses to any water: tap, bottled, distilled, lake, or ocean water.
- Replace contacts regularly because they wear out over time. Throw away disposable lenses after the recommended wearing period.
- Keep your eyes looking pretty and healthy by putting your contacts on before applying makeup and taking your lenses off before removing makeup.
- Contact us if you experience any symptoms of eye irritation or infection.
Here’s the proper way to clean, rinse, and disinfect most types of contact lenses.
- Before handling contact lenses, wash and rinse your hands.
- Carefully dry hands on a lint-free towel.
- Remove one lens and clean it with the recommended solution. Rub the lens in the palm of your hand with a few drops of solution.
- Rinse the lens to remove loosened debris.
- Place the lens in a clean case or lens holder filled with fresh solution.
- Repeat the steps for the other lens.
Three (3) Ways to Know Contact Lenses Aren’t for You
Some people should not use contact lenses. They include:
- Anyone who is too busy to be compliant with contact lens safety measures and thorough hygiene habits
- People who work where there is a lot of debris in the air, such as sawdust
- People who have dry eye problems.
Contact lenses are safe to use, but only if you follow your doctor’s advice and these simple rules of care.