Taking Care of Your Contact Lenses: A Guide

Contact lenses are a welcome option for many people who do not like wearing glasses. It is especially so if you have an active lifestyle or play sports often. They promise a life free of the hassle of being constantly conscious of the frames on your face. While they free you of the hassle of keeping track of your glasses, contacts come with their own. 

Contact lenses are easier to spend the day with but have their own requirements. Unless you use daily wear lenses that you discard at the end of every day, you have to know how to care for your lenses. You have to be more vigilant about eye care than with eyeglasses.

Why Is Contact Lens Care Important?

Typically, your eyes deal with only minimal chances of contamination. Using contact lenses means you will touch your eyes more often than most people. Any dirt, germs, and bacteria your hands may pick up can end up in your eyes. 

Furthermore, your contacts tend to collect debris while you wear them. This collection of dirt and debris is why you must soak the lenses overnight in a disinfectant solution. The debris, bacteria, and other organisms that collect on your lenses or hands can lead to eye infections. Contact lens care is thus essential to protect the health of your eyes. Moreover, it is critical to maintain the comfort of contact lenses.

How to Take Care of Your Contacts

• Hygiene

The first step in taking care of your contact lenses is maintaining proper hygiene every time you handle them. You must clean your hands with soap and water when you want to put them on or take them off. Use antibacterial soap that is not too harsh. Also, avoid using soap products that contain lanolin or moisturizing lotions. These additives can get on the lens and affect its performance or comfort.

• Storing Your Lenses

When storing your lenses, ensure that you keep them in the solution your eye doctor provides. The solution is the best way to ensure that pathogens do not get into your eye. Using other liquids to keep your lens exposes you to infections. Some people may try to moisten their lenses with saliva if they feel dry. Do not do this.

• Put Them on Right

Contacts are usually very malleable unless you are using RGP lenses. The more common soft lenses can turn inwards, making them take an odd shape. If you wear your lenses this way, they could pop out at any time. They could also become very uncomfortable for you. Ensure that your contacts have a perfect U shape.

• Replace Them on Time

Keeping your replacement schedule is vital to keep your contacts safe for your eyes. The eye doctor usually sets the replacement timeline according to your prescription. 

• Avoid Overwearing Your Lenses

Wearing contacts for more than 12 hours can harm your eye health. Experts recommend a maximum of ten hours a day to prevent eye issues.

For more on taking care of your contact lenses, call Blue Hills Eye Associates at (781) 794-2200 to reach our office in Braintree, Massachusetts.