Contacts are intended to improve one’s vision, but when worn incorrectly, contacts can cause damage. If you’re a regular contact wearer, it’s important that you follow best practices for wearing contacts to protect your eyes and keep them healthy. Read on for four tips to protect your eyes.
Always Insert and Remove Lenses Properly
The first step to protect your eyes when wearing contacts is to put your contacts in properly. Before inserting them, be sure to wash your hands with soap as this will kill any germs and bacteria on your hands. Then, dry them using a lint-free cloth to make sure nothing gets into your eye when inserting and removing your lenses. When removing your contacts, experts recommend that you do so after dinner. This way, your eyes have 3 – 4 hours of downtime to recover from your contacts.
Pay Attention to Any Irritation
When worn correctly, contact lenses should barely be noticeable. If you feel any irritation or notice any redness, it’s imperative that you remove your contact lenses and call the doctor. If there is any issue with your eye, it’s best to forego contacts completely as this will only exacerbate the problem.
One of the best ways to avoid eye irritation is to make sure your eyes are properly lubricated by using eye drops. Contact lens wearers benefit from using daily lubricating eye drops as these drops help to moisten and clean the eye’s surface. This will also help to prevent any redness caused by dry eyes.
Yearly Eye Doctor Visits
Proper eye care when wearing contacts requires that you visit the eye doctor once every year instead once every two years like most people are suggested to do. This is because you are touching a foreign object to your eye every day and therefore are more susceptible to eye infection or corneal scratches. However, you only need to go once every two years to renew your prescription, unless you notice significant changes in your vision.
Don’t Disinfect Single Use Lenses
If you’re a single-use contact lens wearer, make sure to dispose of your contacts every day. Avoid cleaning your single-use contacts with a contact lens solution as daily lenses are designed for one-time use. Moreover, contact lens cleaning solutions are intended for extended use lenses. The problem with single use lenses as opposed to multiple use is that single use ones are not made to easily disinfect, as well as can cause eye irritation by not allowing enough oxygen to permeate through to the eye when exposed to the lipids of the eye repeatedly.
Don’t let wearing contacts damage your eyes or your health. Keep this information in mind as you learn more about best practices for wearing contacts. It’s important as well to consult with your eye doctor about how to best care for your eyes while using contacts, as well as to do your own research on basic contact care.
