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Wearing Contact Lenses: Are You Doing It Right?

Wearing contact lenses can be a very freeing experience, especially while playing sports or getting active outdoors. Many people even prefer them to glasses in their everyday lives, which is totally understandable, so long as you’re taking care of your eyes in the meantime. Whether it’s your first time wearing contact lenses, or you’ve been using them for years, check out the following tips to make sure your technique for wearing, cleaning, and storing them is exactly what the optician ordered.

Getting the Routine Correct

If you have a different prescription in each eye, you’ll have to wear two different strengths of contact lenses. To avoid confusion when putting them in, build an order into your routine – start by putting in the right one first, and then move on to the left (you can do left to right too,as long as you stick to it). The same for removing your contact lenses. This will help you to make fewer mistakes, resulting in a lower chance of damaging the lens with excess touching, or of bacteria transferring between your hand and your eyes.

Keeping everything Clean

Because you’re at a higher risk of catching an eye infection when wearing contact lenses, keeping your hands clean is extremely important. Washing your hands and drying them with a lint-free towel before touching your eyes will help stop bacteria spreading that is naturally picked up as you go about your day. Keeping contact lenses sterile is also very important. If you are wearing anything other than dailies, you should always change thesolution with every wear, and bathe them in it before and after you’ve worn them. Never, ever use water as a substitute, as this will only facilitate the spread of germs.

If they’re Uncomfortable

It’s essential that the health of your eyes is always at the forefront of your mind while wearing contact lenses, so if they’re hurting your eyes, make sure to take them out straight away. If the pain continues, visit your eye doctor immediately. Sometimes, a small piece of dust or an eyelash can get lodged between your contact lens and your cornea, so giving your lens a wash before replacing it will often fix the problem. With consistent problems, such as dry eyes, a good solution is to carry a small bottle of eye drops with you, so you can add lubrication when needed.

Wearing contact lenses overnight

Some kinds of contact lenses are suitable for overnight wear, but you should always check first to make sure that it’s possible to do so with yours.  Extended wear lenses are made from a breathable material which allows more oxygen to reach the eye, meaning they are safer to have on for longer periods of time. Always take note of the maximum time for which you can wear your contact lenses, and don’t exceed it, to keep your eyes healthy and in good shape. Comfort and cleanliness are both very important in your daily contact lens routineand putting your optic health before everything else will ensure that you’re always wearing your them right.