While contacts provide useful benefits to wearers, including the convenience, flexibility and “no-glasses” appearance, improper use can lead to serious vision problems.
More than 30 million Americans currently wear contact lenses. How many do you think are wearing their contact lenses the way they were instructed by their optometrist? A recent study shows that a vast majority of contact lens wearers are not carefully following their eye doctors contact lens wearing instructions, and by doing so are putting themselves at unnecessary risk.
In order to help protect your eyes (and your contact lenses), we’ve put together a list of Contact Lens Care Tips to increase awareness about the risks of incorrectly wearing and handling Contact Lenses.
Storage & Care
Many common contact lens irritations begin with improper storage & care of contact lenses.
- Wash and Dry Your Hands before Handling Contact Lenses. Keeping your hands clean will prevent germs and bacteria from reaching your lenses.
- Replace your Contact Lens case regularly. Changing your contact case regularly (every three months) will help prevent bacteria from building up inside your contact lens case, or on your contacts.
- Clean & Disinfect Contact Lenses Properly. By cleaning and disinfecting your lenses before storage. You remove dust, debris and bacteria from entering your contact lens case.
- Never Reuse Contact Lens Solution. Always discard solution once you’ve stored your lenses and removed them for wear. Whenever storing your lenses, make sure only to use new solution when storing or rinsing your lenses.
- Avoid Non-Sterile Liquids. Tap water, distilled water, and homemade saline may cause infection and is a common source of microorganisms and bacteria.
- Avoid wearing lenses while sleeping.Wearing contact lenses overnight can increase the chance of infection. This is due to the contact lens depriving the eye cornea of oxygen, creating microscopic damage, increasing the chance of infection.
Eye Irritation and Infection
If you experience eye irritation or discomfort, follow these simple steps.
- Remove the Contact Lenses. Removing your contact lenses immediate allows your eyes to breathe, and surface irritants to be removed with the blinking of our eye lashes, and natural tears.
- Contact Your Eye Care Professional. Contact your eye doctor to accurately diagnose your current symptoms.
- Keep Your Lenses. Bring your contact lenses in when you meet with your eye doctor. Your lenses may be used to help diagnose your symptoms.
