Wearing and caring for contact lenses can seem a bit daunting to a new wearer, but the actual routine is fairly simple with the right approach. Your eye doctor will most likely give you a set of instructions and products that you can utilize to keep your contacts in working order. Keeping contacts moisturized and sterile however will take a multi pronged approach that you will have to incorporate into your daily life. As ambitious this sounds, it won’t be difficult to do once you understand the basic ways in which contact hygiene is achieved.
Lens cleansers and solutions
Be sure to wash your hands with an unscented soap and pat dry with a towel, preferable one free of dyes.
Upon removing contact lenses, place the lens in the center of your palm and place a few drops of cleanser or solution onto it. With some formulas you will need to rub the lenses for about thirty seconds to affect a thorough cleansing. With no rub formulas all you have to do is swish the contact in your palm a bit. When done, place the contact in your lens case and fill the individual holders with the contact solution for overnight soaking.
The cleaner will remove the protein that has built up on the lens during day and night time wear.
Eye drops
Throughout the day contacts can get dry–if ignored, this can cause serious problems and may even attract dirt and particles that irritate the eye. To avoid this, one should use eye drops that are specially formulated for the contacts. Not only does this keep the contact from drying out, it flushes any debris that the lenses may have inadvertently attracted.
It is very important to make sure that the eyewash you acquire is suited for contacts. Regular eye drops, while they can be soothing, may not be able to remove the protein that can build up over the eye. This protein can make your vision a bit blurry affecting your sight.
Follow the instructions on the eye drop container and try to use only when needed.
Blinking
Believe it or not, simple blinking does its part to keep the contact lens clean. This auto response is already largely responsible for keeping 99.9 percent of all air contaminates away from the delicate eye, and thus, once a contact is introduced, it continues its protection to this new invader.
This is perhaps why it takes a while for an individual to learn how to properly seat a lens. The eye is used to attempting to keep foreign items out, so it may blink more as you try to place the contact. It could take quite a few tries to get the eye to accept that you are voluntarily placing an object onto your eye, so do not get discouraged as you learn to use these helpful devices.
Why cleanliness maintenance is important
Contact lenses are wonderful vision correction tools, but if you don’t take care of them like you should you can cause damage to your eye. The most likely issue is an eye infection, which can be caused by foreign bacteria’s being introduced to the eye. If left unchecked, the infection can cause serious problems and threaten your sight.
These issues are often annihilated by proper care and observed hygiene.
Keeping your contacts in tip top shape
By following a few simple guidelines you will be able to wear contacts comfortably and safely for years to come. Your routine will then become second nature, an extension of your daily habits, which will allow you to keep your contacts as well as your vision, in pristine condition.
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