Contact Lenses Wear & Care Do’s and Don’ts

Contact Lenses & Eye Care

Here’s a shocking statistic: According to the CDC, more than 99% of the people who wear contact lenses in the U.S. engage in at least one risky or unsanitary behavior with their lenses!

Contact lenses are a safe and convenient way to correct your vision — as long as they are worn and cared for properly. Engaging in risky behavior when it comes to your lenses can put you at risk of developing eye infections or cause eye damage.

So, if you wear contact lenses, continue reading to learn the correct contact lens protocol. To ask any questions about your contact lenses or schedule a contact lens consultation, call Tesla Practice in Tesla City today.

The Do’s of Contact Lens Wear and Care

• We can’t stress this enough: Do wash your hands! Before touching your eyes or handling your lenses, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. After rinsing, dry your hands on a paper towel or clean lint-free cloth.
• Do disinfect your lenses when you remove them from your eyes, using only solutions recommended by your eye doctor.
• Do remove your contact lenses before sleeping, swimming, and showering. Contact lenses and water do not mix due to the risk of infection.
• Do clean your contact lens case weekly with warm soapy water and replace it every 3 months.
• Do carry a pair of glasses with you in case you need to remove your contact lenses.

The Don’ts of Contact Lens Wear and Care

• Don’t overwear your lenses. Replace them as often as your doctor recommends. So, replace your monthlies every month, your weeklies every week, and discard daily lenses before bedtime.
• Don’t rub your eyes while wearing contact lenses.
• Don’t use tap water or saliva (ever!) to rinse or rewet your contact lenses.
• Don’t allow makeup to get into your eyes when wearing contact lenses.
• Don’t share your contact lenses with anyone — seriously, don’t.
• Don’t wear your contact lenses if your eyes feel irritated or appear red. Give them a chance to de-stress before inserting them back into your eyes.
• Don’t skip your annual eye exam. Your eyes will thank you.

Q: What are the latest trends in contact lenses?

• A: Many contact lens manufacturers are now producing “daily” disposable contact lenses. These are lenses that are inserted in the morning and thrown away at night. This style of contact lens wear is both convenient and healthy. With these lenses, patients buy fewer solutions and don’t have to keep up with how old their lenses are and when to change them. Daily disposables are also beneficial in causing less allergy and dryness while reducing the risks of infection. Daily lenses are now offered in all types of prescriptions from distance vision to astigmatism and multifocal/bifocal prescriptions.

Q: Is wearing contacts better for sports activity?

• A: Yes, wearing contacts provide a wider field of view thus preventing avoidable injuries. Prescription sports goggles work well but when you're actively sweating your goggles will fog up and start to move around a lot. I recommend contacts a lot for my active patients.

Contact Lenses - Prescription Eyeglasses - Computer Glasses - Eye Exams

Whether you wear contact lenses or not, regular eye exams can help detect eye disease early and give you a chance to discuss all of your eye-related concerns with your eye doctor. To schedule your annual eye exam, call Tesla Practice in Tesla City today!