Your habits, supplies, and eye care practitioner are all critical to maintaining the health of your eyes. Contact lens wearers and eye care providers both play critical roles in appropriate eye care. You can enjoy the convenience and advantages of contact lenses while decreasing your risks of an eye infection by following your eye care provider’s recommendations on how to use, clean correctly, and store your lenses.
To wear contact lenses securely and preserve your eyes, practice the following healthy habits:
1) Maintain the cleanliness of your contact lenses
One of the essential methods to avoid lens-related eye issues is to keep your lenses clean by washing your hands and using sterile solutions prescribed by your eye care physician whenever you touch your contacts.
2) Do not sleep with your contacts
Do not sleep in your contacts unless medically essential. According to research, wearing contact lenses overnight significantly increases the risk of developing an eye infection.
3) Replace your contacts regularly
The integrity of the plastic is affected as a contact age—just as a tyre may wear out, so can a lens. Wearing an outdated lens might lead to problems, which may necessitate your doctor removing your contact lenses for several weeks or months while you recuperate.
4) Remove your lenses after dinner
I advise patients to go without their contacts for at least 3 to 4 hours per day. This helps the eye to heal from the microtrauma induced by lens wear. It’s a good rule of thumb to take them out after supper.
5) Remove your lenses and contact your doctor if you have redness or irritation
If your eye has any issue, no matter how minor, you should not place your contact. You should contact your eye doctor right away and, if feasible, request an appointment on the same day.
6) Avoid using water or saliva on your lens
On any contact lens, never use tap or distilled water or any other non-sterile solution. Water has an unbalanced pH in your eye and can cause a soft lens to expand many times its normal size. Acanthamoeba organisms are found in all water sources and can cause severe eye diseases. If you don’t have any remedy on hand, you can use a fake tear or leave it alone.
7) Avoid using your contact lenses when washing or swimming
Because of the Acanthamoeba danger, it is not suggested that you use contacts when exposed to non-sterile water. The Acanthamoeba bacteria and adenovirus are not killed by chlorine in hot tubs and swimming pools (the most common cause of pink eye). If you swim for exercise, prescription goggles are highly suggested and reasonably priced.
8) Remove your contacts for one day every week
I typically advise patients to avoid wearing their contacts at least one day each week. If you’re at home on the weekend, don’t use them; instead, wear your spectacles.
9) Use eye drops daily
Contact lens users should use lubricating eye drops at least once a day to help maintain their lenses clean and moisturize the eye’s surface. Computer use, which is widespread in the office, can exacerbate dry eye problems.
10) Consult with your eye doctor about medicines
Patients who take eye medications should consult with their eye care practitioner to see if they are compatible with lens usage.
The instructions for wearing and caring for soft contact lenses apply to hard or rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) contact lenses. Consider the following further suggestions:
Follow your eye care provider’s lens cleaning recommendations as well as the lens solution usage guidelines. Avoid rinsing or storing your hard contact lenses in tap water.
If properly maintained, hard contact lenses may last far longer than soft contact lenses. Replace your hard contact lenses as directed by your eye care professional.
You can also read my previous article on eye care:
Eye conditions can get worse if not treated on time. It is always wise to consult a specialist to keep abreast of the health risks associated with such conditions. Marham has all that you need to help you with your healthcare needs. Consult the best eye specialist in Karachi to have your eyes checked. Book an online consultation via video call or an in-person appointment in a matter of seconds.
