Keeping Contacts Happy: Lens Love And Care Tips

Keeping contacts happy may seem like a chill and laid back statement but it is something that is crucial when it comes to eye health. Here are some tips and pointers for contact lens users.

Keeping Contacts Happy By Cleaning And Rinsing Regularly

Two of the most important ways to keep your contact lenses happy and your eyes healthy are cleaning and rinsing. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your contact lenses. This is so as not to transfer any dirt, oils or bacteria into the contact lens from your hand that could cause an infection or irritation in the eye. 

Immediately after washing your hands, take the lenses and clean your lens with contact lens solution and not water. While your solution might say “no rub,” lightly rubbing with a clean finger will ensure complete removal of debris and possible protein buildup on the front and back surfaces to provide an on-the-eye clarity and comfort. After cleaning your lenses, store them in fresh solutions — do not reuse old solution since it does lose its effectiveness. Your lens case should also be clean. Rinse it with fresh solution and let it air dry daily if possile. 

Change your lens case every three months to prevent contamination. By following a proper cleaning and rinsing routine, you maintain the health of your lenses, avoiding discomfort, dryness and infection. Remember, consistency is key. Taking these small steps every day can make a big difference in how happy and healthy your contacts and your eyes remain.

Keeping Contacts Happy By Going For Regular Eye Checks

The best ways to keep your contacts happy, along with your eye health in perfect condition is by regularly visiting your eye doctor. An eye exam is required for finding changes in your vision and to ensure that your prescription is up-to-date. Even without discomfort, your eyes may still need changes to maintain comfort with your contact lenses. A comprehensive eye exam also searches for underlying conditions such as dry eye or corneal irregularities that could affect how your lenses feel and fit. 

Regular visits ensure that any potential issues, such as infections or irritation are caught early on to prevent long-term damage. During these visits, your eye doctor may also advise you on the most appropriate care for your contact lenses to ensure you clean them correctly, wear them correctly or store them correctly. Further, if you want to try another type of lens-for comfort, cosmetic reasons or lifestyle, your eye doctor can recommend the best options matched to the shape and health of your eyes. 

Whether you wear daily, weekly or monthly lenses, regular check-ups are important for the health of your eyes and a good contact lens experience. Schedule an eye exam at least once annually, or as your doctor advises to keep both your eyes and contacts happy and healthy.

Keeping Contacts Happy By Abiding Wearing Schedule

The following schedule of wear is highly critical for maintaining happy, healthy contact lenses and more importantly, your eyes. Several wear time frames are available for contact lenses: daily, bi-weekly and even monthly. Wearing your contact lenses for a period beyond that prescribed will surely be very discomforting, result in dryness or even bring about eye infections. 

If daily wear lenses are considered, this involves taking them off at the end of every day and then discarding the pair used. For extended wear lenses, some may be designed to stay in for overnight wear of up to a week or more but one shouldn’t exceed that because that can cause potential complications such as reduced oxygen supply to your corneas. Monthly lenses are put on in a cycle — they go in, get dirty from deposits and need replacement on schedule to work well and ensure comfort. Following the schedule also prevents irritation or strain of the eyes from worn-out lenses and the risk of bacterial buildup. 

Besides, failure to replace the lenses on schedule makes your eyes more prone to infection or dryness especially if you are using lenses that are past their prime. To keep your contacts and your eyes happy, follow the prescribed wear and replacement schedules and consult your eye care professional if you have any discomfort or questions about the best lens for your lifestyle.

Keeping Contacts Happy By Storing Lenses Properly

Storage of your contact lenses is a necessary thing to maintain good health in your eyes and extend the lifetime of your lenses. Always use a clean, disinfected lens case. If the case happens to be dirty or old, it may harbour bacteria and could lead to eye infections. Therefore, change your case every three months. 

After removing your lenses, fill the case with fresh contact lens solution and never reuse old solution. Reusing or topping off the solution might also introduce injurious bacteria to the lenses, leading to a potential irritation or infection. Make sure to place your lenses in the case so that they are completely submerged in the solution to avoid drying out. Dry lenses will become very brittle and uncomfortable to wear — worse, they can damage your eyes.

And most importantly, always store your lenses in a cool, dry place. Never store them in the way of direct sunlight, sources of heat or extreme temperatures as that could degrade the material of the lens and affect comfort and clarity. Following the guidance of your eye care professional about how long to wear and store your lenses is also important since different types call for different instructions. 

Proper storage saves your eyes from potential damages and lets your lenses last longer to stay in the best condition for comfort. After all, it only takes a few seconds to store your lenses correctly which is a simple step to keep your contacts happy and your eyes healthy.

Keeping Contacts Happy By Giving Your Eyes A Break

One of the probable most important ways to care about your eyes’ health and comfort is to give them a rest from the lenses. Wearing them too long can be responsible for their dryness, irritation and even infections. If possible, it is a good idea to take them off at the end of every day in order for your eyes to breathe during this nighttime period. If your lenses are not designed for extended wear, never sleep in them. 

Even if they feel comfortable, your eyes need time to rest and wearing contacts while you sleep restricts the oxygen flow to your corneas. On top of removing your lenses at night, try alternating between your contacts and glasses throughout the day. This will help not only with eye fatigue but also give your eyes a different environment. When indoors or lounging at home, for example, glasses are a great way to let your eyes catch a break.

And also, on those long days, it pays to fit in small breaks where, if possible, you’ll be able to take them out or simply rest the eyes with deep blinking and, of course, lubricated eye drops. These will make a huge difference by taking such good care of your eye comfort and keeping your contact lenses happy for longer; thus, it would protect more fully from the negative effects or damage that can be given to the eye.

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