Healthy Habits = Healthy Eyes!
Contact lenses are a great alternative to daily glasses by providing freedom to participate in sports and other activities without worrying about glasses falling off or being broken. While contact lenses are usually a safe and effective alternative to glasses, you must make sure that you care for them properly to maintain the health of your eyes.
Here are some quick tips to make sure you are following the proper guidelines to care for your contact lenses.
- Wash your hands with soap and water; dry them thoroughly with a clean cloth or paper towel before ever touching your contact lenses.
- Never, ever, ever sleep in your contact lenses unless your eye care professional specifically instructs you to do so. Your corneas need the ability to “breathe” throughout the night. By sleeping in contact lenses, you are severely limiting the amount of oxygen that can reach your corneas.
- Keep all water away from your contact lenses by avoiding showers, pools, and hot tubs while wearing contact lenses. Water entering your eye with contact lenses in can trap bacteria on your eye and cause infections to occur.
- Always rub and rinse your contact lenses with fresh solution before storing them in a contact lens case. Never use water or saliva to wet or store your contacts.
- Be sure to change your contact lenses as prescribed by your doctor. Never over-wear your contacts; doing so can lead to infections, corneal abrasions, and emergency trips to the eye doctor.
- Clean your contact lens after every use with fresh contact lens solution and dry with a clean tissue. Store the contact lens case upside down with the caps off. Replace your case once every three months.
- Never “top-off” the solution on your contact lens case. Always use fresh solution and make sure to use the lens solution brand recommended by your eye care professional.
- Remove your contact lenses immediately if you have any discomfort, redness, blurred vision, or eye pain and call your eye care professional.
- Lastly, ALWAYS Carry a pair of backup glasses just in case you have to take your contact lenses for any reason!