Failure to clean, disinfect, and store your contact lenses properly can result in serious eye infections. In case you don’t have the knowledge of how to clean your lenses, you should continue reading this article. But first, let’s get into the risks of contact lens mismanagement.
Contact Lens Risks
If your contact lenses are old or don’t fit your eyes well, the chances are that they might scratch your eyes. They will affect your cornea by facilitating the growth of blood vessels in them. Failure to handle this condition can lead to blindness.
Amblyopia, a condition caused by abnormal visual development in childhood, can result in visual impairments. It develops within the first seven years of age and can cause decreased vision and blindness in children aged 1 to 9. One of the solutions to this problem is vision therapy.
When you are wearing contact lenses, it is best to avoid using eye drops as they have a harmful effect. However, you can talk to an eye specialist about preservative-free lubricating drops for use.
Anytime your eyes are watery, painful, red, or sensitive to light, it’s essential to have the contact lenses off and seek medical help from your eye specialist. Other conditions that seek prompt medical help include discharge(pus or ooze) and blurry vision, to name a few.
Taking Proper Care of Your Contact Lens
Often, many contact lenses users fail to follow the instructions for taking care of contact lenses or do so with less seriousness. Anytime you remove your contact lenses from your eyes and want to put them on, you must have them cleaned and disinfected. There are a variety of cleaning systems. This depends on the lens you’re using in case of the formation of protein deposits on the eyes or having allergies. Your doctor should guide you appropriately on the correct type of cleaning solutions for use. Following the proper procedures for cleaning and storing your lenses will keep you free from eye infections and any dangerous effects of improper storage.
Follow Your Specialists Instructions
When purchasing contact lenses, there are instructions your eye specialists give you. Never take the instructions for granted but with seriousness. They include:
- Follow the schedule for wearing your lenses and replacing them.
- Follow the protocols from your contact lens manufacturer, lens cleaning manufacturer, and eye specialist on the storage and cleaning of your lenses. Always re-disinfect your contact lenses anytime you remove them from the storage case and want to wear them.
- Take your eye examination appointments with seriousness. With time, contact lenses change, causing your cornea to have a different shape. Regularly visit your eye doctor for a correct prescription and ascertain that your lenses fit properly.
- When having your contact lenses on, always keep away from hot tubs, water, a shower, and any area that can make water contact the lenses.
- Avoid sleeping with your contact lenses on.
Carefully Clean and Rewet Your Lens
- Please wash your hands with clean water and a soap bar and use a lint-free towel to dry them before touching the lenses.
- Regardless of whichever lens cleaning solution you purchase, the best cleaning method is “rub and rinse.” Ensure your fingers are clean before rubbing your contact lenses with them. Then use a solution to rinse the contact lenses and eventually soak them.
- Never use saliva to wet your lenses when cleaning them because it’s not a sterile solution.
- Avoid using water in rinsing the lenses; neither should the saline solution be used because they are not disinfectants.
- Do not use a homemade saline solution.
- Avoid reusing old solutions. It’s recommended to use new solutions when disinfecting your contact lenses.
- Pouring contact lens solutions into other bottles causes solutions to be unsterile.
- Ensure your solution bottle tip is tightly closed, not unless it’s in use.
How to Care For Your Contact Case
Ensure your contact lens case stays spic and span by cleaning it regularly with sterile contact lens solution and leaving it open for a while. Replace the case after three months or anytime they crack.
Wearing contact lenses is not everyone’s thing. You might find wearing them a challenge because of sustaining eye infections, failure to care for the lenses, working in a dusty environment, or having allergies. In case of any issues regarding taking care of your contact lenses, do not hesitate to seek help from your eye specialist.