Contact lenses may be the perfect answer to your vision problems. But if you don’t take good care of your lenses, they could also do real damage to your eyes.
As part of Contact Lens Health Week, check out these tips to get the most of your contact lenses:
1) Buy from a professional
According to All About Vision, contact lenses are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because they are medical devices. It is not safe to wear contact lenses that have not been specifically prescribed for you and professionally fitted to the shape of your eye.
This includes novelty lenses that can change the color of your iris or the shape of your pupil like those that are popular around Halloween. Do not risk your vision for a novelty look or a cheaper set of lenses.
2) Let your eyes breathe
Your eyes need oxygen just like the rest of your body. But unlike most of your body, the surface of your eyes takes in oxygen directly from the air, not just through your lungs.
Make sure your eyes get the oxygen they need by discarding and replacing your contacts on the schedule your eye doctor recommends.
If they are appropriate for your vision, consider lenses that transmit more oxygen like silicone hydrogel contacts, or rigid gas permeable lenses.
3) Keep them clean
If you wear glasses and they get dirty, it just gets harder to see. If you wear contacts and they get dirty, you put that dirt directly into your eye.
Eye irritation and infections can lead to ulcers on your cornea or even blindness.
As your contacts get older, bacteria and other germs can accumulate on the lens which increases your risk of an eye infection.
Be sure to clean your lenses thoroughly on the schedule provided by your eye doctor. And make sure you use the contact lens solution recommended to go with your specific type of lenses.
Even if your lens solution is labelled “no rub,” studies show that rubbing will get your lenses cleaner. And be sure to empty, rinse and refill your storage case every time you put your contact lenses away. Never “top off” the case.