Contact lenses are great vision correction tools irrespective of your age, lifestyle and visual impairments. They make your life easy by allowing you to forgo glasses. They are easy to wear and safe to use visual aids that are aesthetically pleasing. If glasses feel overbearing to you, contact lenses are definitely the way to go. However, it needs bearing in mind that contact lenses are medical devices that need proper care in handling, to avoid developing any complications. Let us walk through some common mistakes to avoid when using contact lenses.
Not Cleaning Them Up Properly
When you get your contact lenses, they come nestled in a storage case and are accompanied with a contact lens cleaning solution. Your optometrist gives you a thorough guideline of how to put your lenses on and how to keep them clean and hygienic. An easy to follow instruction manual notifies the steps required to keep contact lenses of a particular brand disinfected. The biggest mistake you can make is to not follow these instructions religiously.
Forgetting About the Contact Lens Case
Bacteria and other microorganisms seem to love contact lenses. However, contact lenses are not the only one that needs a proper wash. Contact lens case needs to cleaned as well but not in a dishwasher! It is imperative to use the recommended sterile solution to disinfect the lens case and replacing it at prescribed intervals.
Wearing Them Out
Over wearing your contact lenses can be dangerous. Over time, various deposits such as proteins, lipids and microorganisms accumulate over the surface of your lens rendering them unfit for further use. Stick to using your lenses for the time they are supposed to be useful for. Certain contacts are made from materials that lose their value after a specific period. Wearing daily disposable contacts for more than a day simply does not make any health sense.
Thinking Water Will Do
Nothing but the contact lens cleaning solution should be used to clean the contact lenses. Any other chemical or saline will not do. Tap water is safe to drink but not sterile enough to wash your lens with, as it may contain some organisms that will be more than happy to make your contact lenses their new home.
Taking a Dip
Taking a shower or plunging into a pool while wearing contact lenses is never a great idea. Most water sources are riddled with harmful microorganisms like Acanthamoeba that can lead to permanent blindness if not properly treated for. It finds it easier to latch onto the cornea of the eyes of contact lens wearers, as they tend to have minor scratches from contact overuse.
Napping Without Care
Many contact lenses out there are safe to use even when you are sound asleep. However, your eyes do need rest and it is not a good idea to go to bed with them on. Even though most lenses prescribed these days do allow oxygen to reach cornea, it is better to allow oxygen to permeate at nighttime without any barrier. Lack of blinking and reduced tear circulation during sleep are other reasons to avoid wearing contacts when napping.
These are some of the common mistakes to avoid when using contact lenses. It is essential to get good quality contact lenses from an authorized source and consult with your optometrist when purchasing prescription lenses.
