Summary
17 August 2022
- Introduction
- Don't wear contact lenses longer than advised
- Don't lick you lenses
- Do carry spares with you
- Ignore discomfort with the lenses
- Do not use saline or tap water to clean your lenses
- Do be aware of limitations of contact lens solutions
- Becareful of water sports
- Do be aware of drops and contact lenses
8 Do's and Don'ts For Wearing Contact Lenses
Wearing contact lenses should enrich your lifestyle. These eight tips will put you on the path to success to wearing contact lenses for a long time, avoiding unnecessary infections and symptoms. Having contact lens issues due to misinformation or misunderstanding is very common and yet also easily avoided with the right information. Arm yourself with the right education so you can protect your eye health.
1. Don't wear your contact lenses longer than advised
Disposable contacts have different durations to be aware of:
| Type | Duration |
|---|---|
| Daily | Morning to night and then throw them away lower case |
| Fortnightly | After two weeks must dispose, regardless how many times they were used |
| Monthly | After 30 days, must dispose, regardless of how many times they were used |
So what happens when you wear it longer than the duration? Nothing good. What could go wrong? Everything. The list includes: reduced visual acuity due to protein build up sore eyes, dry eyes, infections, ulcers, stys and sometimes even permanent damage. The only valid reason to do this is to be economically viable but developing any of these symptoms and the time and cost to treat them, is it worth it? Your eyes are much more valuable - so why risk it? We rely on sight so much, we must never forget how we can easily damage them.
2. Don't lick you lenses
Most lenses require to be moist before inserting them in the eye, however licking them to do so is a one way ticket to a bacterial infection. Corneal ulcers also called keratitis, can be caused by bacteria, and guess what is predominately in your mouth's saliva? Contact lenses will absorb almost any liquid they are exposed to, that includes the bacteria found in them. The bacteria in the mouth is just that, it should stay in the mouth. There is no good reason to transfer that to the eye. How to avoid this? Simply bring an extra set of contact lenses with you, or have your glasses as a backup. Which brings us to the next point…
3. Do carry spares with you
Contact lenses were designed with convenience in mind. You don't want to be caught out with a broken lens or no solution. No matter what duration user you are, always carry your glasses or if your prescription allows it, daily disposable as a spares.
They are so convenient to have in case of an emergency. Pack an extra in your bag, your purse, your car - you just never know. You don't want to be forced in a situation where you have to pick between bacterial infection or ability to see clearly. It wouldn't make sense to use a monthly lens as a spare when a daily disposable would work just as well and much more economical.
4. Do not ignore discomfort with the lenses
Contact lenses are also designed to be very comfortable. Contact lens technology has improved and will keep improving overtime providing more breathability, moisture retention and water content. If its not comfortable, you must learn to troubleshoot. Is the contact lens dirty, or cloudy? Remove it and give it a thorough clean with solution. Still not feeling right? There could be a microscopic tear in the lens from handling it too much. In this case, no choice but to throw it out and get a new one. Do not accept uncomfortable lenses as an option. If in ask your optometrist to check the fitting.
5. Do not use saline or tap water to clean your lenses
Back in the day, it was common to have multiple solutions for different purposes. Rinse, clean, disinfect, neutralize and remove proteins. Nowadays, we have multipurpose solutions that can do all the steps in one. Saline was used for rinsing, but that was it. Contact lenses need to be disinfected in order to maintain eye health. Again the same with tap water, it doesn't disinfect. Please look after your eye health by using the correct cleaning regime.
6. Be aware of the limitation of contact lens solutions
Extended wear contact lenses require a dedication to hygiene and upkeep. Cleaning them every night requires diligence and discipline. If this is you, then yes you will enjoy the benefits of extended wear contacts, but if not, daily wear is a far better option.
7. Becareful of water/water sports
Did you notice there is an expiry date on the contact lens solution? This is to ensure that the solution maintains its pH level before losing its potency. Once this pH level is no longer maintained, the effectiveness of removing bacteria is reduced. Also be aware that an opened bottle of contact lens solution also starts to loose its potency over time.
The actual shelf life of an open bottle of solution varies with manufacturer. Its best to check with them. What happens if you accidentally use expired solution? Don't stress, just discard the solution and apply non-expired solution for the cleaning regime and you are good to go.
8. Becareful of eye drops and contact lenses
There are so many eye drops out there on the market suited from different purposes. Rewetting drops are different from dry eye drops. Clearly read the label to not mix them up. Always best to check with your optometrist when in doubt.
