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10 Things Your Contacts Wish You Knew About Contact Lens Care

If your contact lenses could talk, they’d have so much to tell you! They might do a little bragging about how low-maintenance and comfortable they are!

Then, they’d lecture you about forgetting them! When it comes to contact lens care, here are 10 important things your contacts really wish you knew.

1. Cleaning is Important

multipurpose cleaning solution with contact case for proper contact lens care

To have the best possible vision and the healthiest eyes, you must keep your contact lenses clean. This means that you will need multipurpose solution. This type of solution cleans and disinfects your contacts, unlike saline solution. Don’t get the two confused.

Saline solution only does part of the job. Sure, it can rinse away debris, but it does nothing to get rid of bacteria that cause infections. The only time you should use saline solution is when you use a disinfecting method with heat or UV.

A few tips for cleaning your contacts include:

Does this sound like too much work? That’s okay. You can forget the whole process and start wearing daily disposable contact lenses. Instead of cleaning, throw your lenses away at night and put in a new pair in the morning.

2. Follow Your Contact Lens Care Schedule

If you don’t follow your contact lens replacement schedule, then you should start right away. Neglecting to replace your contacts on time causes blurred vision and makes your eyes uncomfortable.

Of course, each type of lens has its own schedule, so yours could be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. The point is to know what you have and follow it!

A good way to be sure you have your new contacts when you need them is to order them online. This saves a trip to the store.

Remember, don’t try to save money by wearing your lenses longer than recommended. Your eyes will thank you.

3. Don’t Sleep With Contacts in Your Eyes

woman asleep in bed with white pillow and blanket

Even if you’re tired, never go to bed with your contacts still on. Your contacts and eyes need their nightly rest, too. That's because your eyes get more oxygen without the lenses, which keeps them healthy.

Waking up after sleeping in your contacts is no picnic. Your eyes feel dry, and you can hardly see. Plus, you put yourself at risk of getting a corneal infection.

The only time you should sleep in contacts is if you have FDA-approved extended-wear lenses. Some are even approved for 30 days. Nonetheless, these contacts are not right for everyone. And the FDA suggests that you take them out one night a week to clean and disinfect them.

4. Clean Your Contact Case

Don’t go to all that work to clean your hands and your contacts only to put them into a dirty case!

If you don’t empty your case and let it dry out, the moisture will breed bacteria. And that bacteria can get into your eyes, causing infections.

Here’s what to do to avoid grimy contact lens cases:

5. Water is for Drinking, Not for Contacts

blue water splashing on white background

Water is needed for life, but why not for contacts? Because water has germs. Even bottled water is unsafe for contacts. Germs in water can lead to:

Believe it or not, you should try to keep shower water out of your eyes, too. And don’t forget pools, hot tubs, oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. Your contacts love to soak up moisture. They just happen to get the bacteria in the moisture as well. So, don’t swim in your contact lenses.

If you do get water in your eyes, take your contacts out immediately. Then clean and disinfect them for 24 hours. Better yet, replace them with new ones.

6. Stop Touching Your Eyes

Your contacts know you love them. There is no need to touch them throughout the day to prove it. In fact, it is best to keep your hands away from your eyes once your contacts are in.

For those with allergies or dry eyes from looking at a digital screen, this may be difficult. The natural tendency is to rub dry, tired eyes. But, this makes the problems worse. Why? Because when rubbing your eyes, you can:

If you really need to touch your eye, be sure to wash your hands well first.

7. Visit Your Eye Doctor Regularly

eye doctor looking into woman patient’s eyes with a machine

If you want to keep your eyes healthy, then visit your eye doctor every year for an eye exam. First, they will check on the health of your eyes. If they find something amiss, they can start treating your eyes right away.

Next, they will conduct a contact fitting. This gives you the matching prescription and lenses that fit you right.

Of course, even if you buy the right prescription, you may not like the contact lenses. Sometimes, you have to try a few different brands and styles to find those that feel most comfortable to you. Be sure to tell your eye doctor if you are having trouble with the lenses prescribed.

8. There’s More to Clear Vision Than Your Prescription

Having the right prescription is crucial to seeing well. Still, there are other things that you can do to help your contacts out.

9. Use Eye Protection

man wearing safety goggles and white helmet while using a drill

Protect your contacts when playing sports. Otherwise, you might lose a lens while playing. You can either wear goggles or bring along extra contacts.

When using power tools or engaged in fast-paced sports like biking or skiing, always wear safety goggles. This keeps debris from flying into your eyes.

Finally, protect your eyes from the sun’s UV rays. You should wear sunglasses during daylight hours even if it is cloudy. Make sure your sunglasses have 100% of UV rays block.

10. Think About Your Contact Lens Care Brands

Not all contact lens care brands are the same. Some contain ingredients that may irritate your eyes with allergy-like symptoms.

If you have trouble with red, swollen, or irritated eyes, consider changing to a different contact solution. If this doesn’t help, contact your doctor. They will have suggestions to help you find the right brand for your eyes.

We’ve shared what your contacts wished you knew about contact lens care. Listen carefully to these recommendations! This way you can keep your contacts and eyes happy and healthy!

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