Keeping Contact Lenses Properly Cleaned
Contact lenses are supposed to help you, not hurt you. In order for you to see better, you have to be comfortable wearing your contacts and for contacts to be as comfortable as possible, they have to be properly maintained.
Whether you’re new to contacts or have worn them for years, you can follow a few easy tips to keeping them and your eyes in great shape. If you don’t care for your contacts properly, you may end up with sore or stinging eyes, or an uncomfortable disease of the eye.
Let’s take a look at a few essentials when taking care of your contact lenses and your eyes, so that clear vision can be effortless and enjoyable.
Wash Your Hands
You should always wash your hands with soap and water before you touch your contacts. If you don’t, you risk germs, dirt, or lint getting on your contacts and into your eyes, which can lead to uncomfortable wear and even eye disease.
Clean, Rinse, and Disinfect
You need to clean, rinse, and disinfect your contact lenses after each wear, and before you put them into their storage container. Skip this step, and you may transfer bacteria into your storage case, where it can grow.
Apply Lenses With a System
Always put on the same lens first, so that you avoid any confusion as to which is the right or the left lens. Many people have different prescriptions in each eye, so it’s imperative that the correct lens gets on the eye that needs it. Otherwise, discomfort will likely ensue.
Keep Lens Solution Bottles Closed
You’ll want to keep all contact lens solution bottle caps closed tight, so that bacteria doesn’t get in and contaminate your solution.
Clean Your Case Daily
Each day, before you take your lenses out, clean and rise your contact lens case thoroughly, and then let it air dry. You should replace your lens case every 3 months or so.
Check Expiration Dates
Make sure that the expiration dates on your contact solution bottles have not passed. You don’t want to put anything old in your eyes. It may not work as it should, and it might burn or harm your eyes.
Remove Lenses Before Swimming
Swimming in your contact lenses can result in irritation, eye infections, and dangerous eye conditions that can threaten your vision.
Keep Re-wetting Drops With You
Throughout the day, your eyes may become dry and your contact lenses may feel like they’re sticking to your eyes. If you keep a bottle of re-wetting drops with you and apply a couple of drops every few hours, you’ll experience more comfort with your contact lenses.
Carry a Case With You
You should also carry an extra contact lens case with you, and a bit of storage solution. Sometimes, you may need to take your contacts out and let your eyes breathe (don’t do this if you need your lenses to drive). You’ll want a clean place to store your lenses, and you’ll need to remember to wash your hands before handling them.
These are some simple things you can do each day to keep your lenses and eyes feeling good. There are other musts for healthy contact lens use, such as never reusing solution or touching the tip of your solution bottles. You also want to make sure you don’t share your lenses with anyone, and that you always keep cosmetics out of your eyes.
Also, make sure you schedule regular visits with your optometrist to discuss any discomfort you may be feeling and to check that everything looks fine. Keep up these healthy habits, and you should enjoy comfortable contact lens wear.
[Photo Via: MyEyes]