Contact lenses are a popular alternative to wearing glasses as they offer the same functions as glasses without having them rest on one’s face. Most people tend to use contact lenses whenever they don’t want to wear their glasses, like during family gatherings or going outside with their friends. Although the frequency of wearing contacts may vary from person to person, it is important that they always stay in their best condition so when one does wear it, the benefits that it has to offer will actually be present. With that being said, it is crucial that you take care of your contacts, not only to make sure it gets the job done, but also to protect you from any dangers. If you do not clean, disinfect or store your contacts properly, you can potentially get a severe eye infection when you do wear them. So, in order to prevent this from happening, here is some information and how to take care and make the most out of your contact lenses.

Contact Lenses Risks

To start off, contact lenses that are too old or do not fit properly might scratch your eyes and partially damage your vision. They can also cause blood vessels to develop into your cornea, which is a serious disease that can impair your eyesight and negatively affect your overall health. It is also important to note that contact lens difficulties can be caused by any eye drops of some sort. When using contacts, it is preferable to avoid applying any type of eye drop. However, as directed by your eye doctor, you can use wetting drops or preservative-free lubricating drops. If you have any further questions about this matter, it is best that you bring it up with your optometrist and ask them to straighten everything out. Furthermore, if your eyes are very red, painful, watery, or sensitive to light, you must remove your contact lenses and consult your eye doctor straight once. If you have hazy vision or detect discharge (ooze or pus) coming from your eye, you should do the same. These can be signs of more serious eye disorders.

Tips to Take Proper Care of Your Lenses

Firstly, you must clean and disinfect each contact lens that you remove from your eye before replacing it. There are several kinds of cleaning methods. The decision is determined by the type of lens used, allergies, and the tendency of your eyes to acquire protein deposits. If you are having any troubles, inquire with your eye doctor about the best cleaning products to utilise. To avoid severe eye infections, you must take particular care to clean and preserve your lenses carefully.

Follow Instructions

It is always important that you follow your eye doctor’s instructions for wearing and changing your contact lenses. To clean and store your contact lenses, you must also follow the instructions provided by your doctor, the contact lens manufacturer, and the lens cleaning solution manufacturer. If you keep your lenses in the case for an extended period of time, it is best that you check your instructions to see if you need to re-disinfect them before using them. It is important to note that you should never wear contact lenses that have been kept for 30 days or more without being disinfected. In addition, you should maintain your eye checkup visits. Contact lenses can distort and your cornea might alter shape over time. With that being said, you should see your eye doctor on a frequent basis to ensure that your lenses fit correctly and that your prescription is correct. Furthermore, when wearing contacts, do not shower, swim, use a hot tub, or do anything else that might cause water to enter your eyes. Contacts and water do not mix. You must also not sleep with your contact lenses on.

Clean and rewet carefully

In addition, you should maintain your eye checkup visits. Contact lenses can distort and your cornea might alter shape over time. With that being said, you should see your eye doctor on a frequent basis to ensure that your lenses fit correctly and that your prescription is correct. Furthermore, when wearing contacts, do not shower, swim, use a hot tub, or do anything else that might cause water to enter your eyes. Contacts and water do not mix. You must also not sleep with your contact lenses on. In addition, when it comes to contact lenses, you must never make your own saline solution. To disinfect your lenses, do not use saline solution or rewetting drops. They do not act as disinfectants. Each time you clean and disinfect your contact lenses, you must use a new solution. Never re-use or top-up an old solution. Also, you must not transfer contact lens solution to another bottle. The solution will not be sterile any longer. Furthermore, be sure that the solution bottle’s tip does not come into contact with any surface. When not in use, keep the bottle securely closed.

Care for your Contact Lenses

There is no question that you should maintain the cleanliness of your contact lens case. In order to do so, you should rinse your lenses with sterilised contact lens solution, then air dry the empty case. It is important to note that you should wash your lenses carefully with the solution and not water. Furthermore, it is best that you replace the case at least every three months, or as soon as it becomes cracked or damaged. This will ensure that you are constantly getting the best out of your contact lenses

Are your Contacts Right for You?

In today’s world, contact lenses are worn by millions of individuals. They are not, however, suitable for everyone. You may be unable to wear them due to various reasons. Some of the reasons are being prone to eye infections, having severe allergies or dry eyes that are difficult to manage, working/living in dusty environments, having the inability to properly take care of the lenses or having an unhealthy cornea or tear film. Whatever the reason may be, contact lenses may not suit you and if you have further questions about your case relating to this information, ask your local, trusted optometrist.

Contact lenses have grown in popularity over the past decades and some even prefer them over actual glasses. They provide various benefits, but in order to gain the most out of them, you must take proper care of them. In order to make sure that you gain the most from contact lenses, you must be aware of the risks that contact lenses have, follow the instructions that are provided by your eye doctor, clean and rewet them carefully, maintain their condition and know whether or not contacts are actually suitable for you. If you have any questions about getting contact lenses or the ones that you currently have, talk to your optometrist today!