Taking care of your contact lenses is crucial for healthy eyes. Without proper cleaning and disinfecting, your eyes are at risk of getting a serious infection. This guide covers everything you need to know about looking after your contact lenses correctly. We’ll walk you through a proper daily routine and highlight some common mistakes to avoid.
Basic Daily Contact Lens Routine
A consistent routine is the best way to get the most out of your lenses and keep your eyes healthy. This advice mostly applies to soft contact lenses, as hard contact lenses require different maintenance. Be sure to check with your eye specialist for the best way to care for your specific lenses.
1. Wash and dry your hands
Always wash your hands with soap and dry them well with a clean cloth before handling your lenses. This decreases the chance of eye infection and prevents any dirt, oils or particles from transferring onto the lenses.
2. Properly clean your lenses
Reusable contact lenses should always be cleaned before and after use. However, daily disposable contact lenses can simply be thrown away after use. Cleaning your lenses removes any deposits or build-up from the eye. Place one lens in the palm of your clean hand and add a few drops of solution. Using your index finger, gently rub the lenses for 10 seconds to remove any deposits. Then, apply your solution to the contact lens to thoroughly wash away any loosened debris. Repeat the same process for your other lens. Never use water to rinse or clean your lenses.
3. Disinfect the lenses overnight
Fortnightly and monthly soft lenses need to be disinfected after wearing. There are many multipurpose solutions available, and occasionally a peroxide disinfection is recommended. Place your lenses in the contact lens container and fill it with the solution. Lenses must be left in the solution for a minimum of 6 hours.
4. Clean your contact lens case
Taking care of your lens case is just as important as your lenses. Just as you should never use water on your lenses, never use water to clean the case. After you put your lenses in your eyes, empty the old solution from the case and rinse it with some fresh solution. Next, empty and dry the case with a clean tissue. After each use, store the case upside down with the caps off. Make sure to replace your contact lens case at least once every three months.
Contact Lens Mistakes to Avoid
Keep contact lenses away from all water
Never use tap water to rinse your lenses or lens case. Water can introduce germs to the eyes through contact lenses, which can lead to severe infection. Remove contact lenses before swimming and avoid showering in them. Do not store the lenses with water, and only use approved contact lens solutions.
Don’t sleep in your contact lenses
Sleeping with normal contact lenses can lead to infections and ulcers in your cornea. Standard contact lenses can stop oxygen from reaching your eyes. This isn’t an issue while awake, as oxygen from the air is carried by your tears through the lens. Extended-wear lenses can sometimes be worn while sleeping, as they are designed to allow more oxygen to pass through the lens.
Always use fresh contact lens solution
Never top up the old solution in your lens case. Reusing lens solution significantly reduces its disinfecting power, making your eyes more susceptible to infection. Always fill each chamber with fresh, unused solution.
Don’t use expired products
Just like with any other medical product, contact lenses and lens solutions lose their effectiveness after their expiry date. Stick to your prescribed wear schedule a throw lenses out when they’re due.
Hard Contact Lens Care
Cleaning and caring for hard contact lenses is a bit different from soft lenses. Hard or Rigid Glass Permeable (RGP) contact lenses require daily cleaning with a different solution to remove deposits. Using the wrong solution may damage your lens or your eyes. Similar to soft lenses, they also must be stored in a solution that cleans and conditions them between uses. Hard lenses are more durable and can last for up to a year or more with the proper care.
Talk with your eye care professional
Depending on your ocular, vision, and systemic health, your eye care professional will establish how frequently you need to be seen for eye tests. Always keep current on these eye appointments, and during your next visit, take the time to have a conversation with your eye care professional to discuss your contact lens wear and care habits.
Your eyes should look good, feel good, and see well with contact lenses in. If you have eye pain, discomfort, redness, or blurred vision, remove your contact lenses immediately. Promptly contact your eye care professional if you have any concerns between scheduled visits.
At Options Optometrists, we offer a range of contact lenses, so you can be assured we can fit you with the best-suited lens for your eyes.