How To Take Care of Contact Lenses

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Contact lenses not only alter your vision, it can do much to enhance your appearance. However, some of you may find that your eyes feel dry and uncomfortable with wearing contact lens. To minimise discomfort and for great eye health, you will need to adopt proper procedures for contact lenses care.

To get a pair of contact lenses, you have to visit an eye care professional. If this is the first time that you are fitted with a pair, it is his duty to provide you with proper instructions on how to take care of contact lenses. Many lens manufacturers also provide an information booklet on what to do. Be sure to get a copy and read it thoroughly.

I highlight some of the more important tips here on how to take care of contact lenses

1. Hygiene is the most important factor to a pair of clean contact lenses. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with mild soap, rinse well and dry your hands with a lint free towel before handling your contact lenses. Your hands have to be free from contaminants and dust. Also, avoid using creams, lotions and cosmetics just before placing the contact lenses onto your eyes.

2. Do not use your nails to handle your contact lenses. Nails may tear the contact lenses and introduce infection directly on them.

3. After removal, contact lens must be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed and disinfected. The solutions used for contact lens care must be approved by the FDA and manufactured by reputable companies. Remember your eyes are irreplaceable so never compromise on the quality of the solutions. Ensure you clean your contact lens immediately after you remove them.

4. The lens care solution must be of good quality and must not have expired. You should discard any solution that is beyond the expiration date even though there may be lots of it left in the bottle.

5. Do not substitute saliva or tap water for lens care solution when re-wetting your contact lens. Saliva can spread infection while tap water has chlorine and other chemicals that are harmful.

6. Rinse your lens case with solutions recommended by your eye care professional and according to the manufacturers’ guidelines on contact lens care. Use only solutions intended for usage with contact lenses and never reuse your solutions.

7. You should always use fresh contact lens care solution each time you store your lenses in a lens case. Do not practise the bad habit of “topping off.” This bad practice refers to the adding a little more solution to the solution that is already in the case.

8. Always use the appropriate contact lens case for storage. Keep your lenses tightly sealed inside the disinfecting solution. Do not leave your contact lens exposed to air or dust.

At any point in time, if you experience any discomfort when wearing your contact lenses, remove them quickly and check with your eye care professional. Discomfort can be an early sign of a more serious complication. You do not want to lose your pair of eyes; so take good measures to protect your sight.

Read more on contact lens care here.