About 45 million Americans age 18 and older wear contact lenses. Ninety-three percent of them use soft lenses. Though so many people choose contacts over eyeglasses, some folks don’t know the correct ways to wear and clean these popular vision aids. Proper implementation is crucial to your eye health.
The office of Dawn Rakich Optometrist is an expert in the field of optometry. We will gladly examine your eyes and clearly explain your options for vision correction in eyeglasses and contact lenses.
These words of advice will benefit you and your lenses.
Insert a new pair as recommended by your optometrist, even if you don’t always use them. Those made for a single wearing are no exception, every if you think they’re still clean and moist. Having your contacts in for more days than advised, or sleeping in lenses not designed for overnight wear, increases your risk of infection and corneal abrasions.
Right before handling your lenses, wash your hands—but not with soaps that are oily or strongly scented. Reach for a lint-free towel to dry your mitts. Lenses stick to moist fingers, and bacteria lurk in tap water.
There are several ways to clear contacts of trapped debris, protein and fatty deposits. A multi-use solution cleans, disinfects, rinses and stores them. Some solutions are for only cleaning or only rinsing. Some liquids state that using them just to rinse lenses also cleans lenses; rubbing is more effective.
Take great caution if you use hydrogen peroxide to clean and disinfect your lenses. Placing it directly into your eyes or on your contacts can cause stinging, burning and temporary damage to your cornea. Always follow the disinfecting process with a neutralizer, which transforms the peroxide into water and oxygen. Only then is it safe to return the lenses to your eyes.
Never use tap water to rinse your lenses, even if you’ve run out of solution. Microbes in faucet water can plant a serious infection in your eyes. Also, even if you’ve seen other people do it, don’t use saliva to moisten them.
Dawn Rakich Optometrist is dedicated to providing superior care and customer service. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us for an appointment.