Contact lenses can be a game-changer. They’re convenient, inconspicuous, and provide crystal-clear vision. However, they also require responsibility. If you don’t care for your contacts properly, you could end up with a painful and potentially serious eye infection. Fortunately, it’s easy to avoid eye infections from contacts with a few simple hygiene habits. Let’s explore the cleaning techniques and storage routine you should use every day to enjoy irritation-free, infection-free vision.
Caring for Contact Lenses
Learning how to properly clean contacts is essential. Follow these steps every time you remove your contacts:
- Wash your hands thoroughly. This will ensure that no oil or debris is transferred from your fingertips or palms. Use soap and warm water, and then dry your hands with a lint-free cloth.
- Clean each lens using a contact lens solution. Place the lens in the palm of your hand, add a few drops of solution, and gently rub the lens with your finger. This will remove any cosmetics, allergens, and debris as well as natural build-up and protein deposits.
- Rinse the lens with a contact lens solution. Never use water to rinse your contacts.
- Store your lenses in a contact case using fresh solution. Never “top up” your old solution.
This routine is quite simple and will become a habit with a bit of repetition. It’s also important that you follow these rules to protect your contacts and keep them clean:
- Only use a contact lens solution approved by your eye doctor.
- Don’t use saline solution or re-wetting drops to disinfect your contacts.
- Never use saliva to clean your contacts.
- Never use water to clean or store your contacts.
- Avoid wearing contacts while swimming, showering, or using a hot tub.
- Replace your contact lens case every three months or so.
- Clean your contact lens case regularly using a sterile solution or hot water. Allow it to dry completely before you use it again.
- Trim and file your nails regularly.
- Replace your contacts as instructed by your eye doctor, on a daily, biweekly, or monthly schedule.
Why Eye Infections from Contacts Are So Dangerous
Eye infections from contacts can cause severe pain and, in some cases, may even lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated. Because contacts sit directly on your cornea, they create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, and parasites. They also reduce the amount of oxygen able to reach your cornea, which weakens your eye’s defenses. Not to mention the fact that some infections progress very quickly and/or are extremely difficult to treat. For example, if you develop the rare parasitic infection Acanthamoeba keratitis, you may be amongst the 40 percent of cases that don’t respond well to medication and require surgery. And if you fail to treat the infection properly, you risk blindness. Scary, right?
For all of these reasons, it’s crucial that you clean your contacts properly after every use and always wash your hands before re-inserting them. In addition, visit an eye doctor as soon as possible after you notice potential symptoms of an infection, which might include eye pain, redness, blurry vision, or discharge.
If you live near southwest Missouri, contact Heffington’s. Since 1975, the Heffington family has been assisting the Springfield community with top-quality eye care and affordable eyeglasses and contacts. One of the unique features of our family-owned business is that we manufacture lenses at our own laboratory, giving us total control over the service and pricing, and we’re happy to pass our savings on to you. To learn more about our products and services, please get in touch with us online, send an email to asktheexperts@heffingtons.com, or give us a call at 417-869-3937 (Optiland location) or 417-882-3937 (House of Vision location). We look forward to hearing from you!