How to Protect Your Eyes

Contact lens wearers whether newbies or experienced ones usually have practical questions regarding contact lenses. Despite the risks involved with using contact lenses, they can be an effective way of correcting your vision. However, the effectiveness is determined by how the owner takes care of the lenses. In the United States, it is estimated that a staggering 45 million people rely on contact lenses to correct their vision. Nevertheless, the use of contact lenses increases one's chances of contracting eye infection if proper care is not taken. So, how can one take care of their lenses to ensure they have healthy eyes?

Below are some of the steps that can be followed to achieve this goal.

Cleaning tips

How you clan your lenses is determined by the type of contact lenses you have. Disposable extended-wear soft lenses require the least amount of care. However, conventional soft lenses require the utmost attention to prolong their lifespan.

Below are some tips one should consider when cleaning their contact lenses.

1. You should ensure that your hands are clean by washing and rinsing them before touching the lenses. One should ensure they use a mild soap to clean the lenses. One should avoid soaps that have perfumes, oils, or lotions. This is to avoid having them leave a film that may irritate the eye later. Additionally, oil particles can lead to blurred vision, which might be detrimental.

2. After washing your hands, one should ensure that they are dried. This should be done by using a lint-free towel.

3. For people who use hair spray, one should ensure that they do so before putting in your contact lenses. Additionally, one should have well-maintained fingernails to avoid scratching the lenses or the eye.

4. For people who do make up, you should ensure that you have your make up on only after you put in your lenses. Also, one should remove the same before removing the makeup.

5. Use the recommended contact lens accessories to avoid any form of damage to the lenses or the eyes.

6. Avoid using tap water as it may introduce bacteria that may hurt your eyes. Additionally, one should avoid having contacts when going into the water. In most cases, people are advised against having their contact on when going for a swim. However, you should avoid having contacts on whether one is in the hot tub or shower. One should adequately disinfect their contact lenses to prevent the numerous eye conditions that are associated with water. For example, having contacts on when in a hot tub may lead to Acanthamoeba keratitis, which can lead to cases of vision loss and blindness.

Other healthy tips to keep your eyes healthy

1. Properly clean the case

 Contact lens cases are very important to prolonging the contacts' lifespan. Additionally, they also dictate the health of the eyes; thus, utmost care should be taken. Cleaning contact lens carrying cases helps reduce the chances of eye infections. One should clean the contact lens cases using appropriate solutions, and at no point should water be used as it can lead to the development of bacteria. Apart from cleaning the cases, one must ensure they replace the cases as advised, which is usually after every three months. This should be done without fail, even if the case is in pristine condition.

2. Putting contact lenses in the mouth

Although this is not common, some people tend to put the contact lenses in the mouth when cleaning them. However, this should not be done, given the number of bacteria present in your mouth. Whether you intentionally or unintentionally place your lenses in your mouth, you should ensure that you clean the lenses to eliminate any bacteria that might have been collected.

3. Avoid overwearing the contact lenses:

One should ensure that they have time to take off their lenses to help the eyes to 'breathe'. Having contact lenses for prolonged periods affect the intake of oxygen to the eye, especially to the cornea. This may lead to cornea swelling, which may causes diseases. For example, low oxygen intake can lead to a corneal abrasion, which may lead to infection in the case of bacteria being present. Like any part of the body, your eyes require ample time to rest; thus, one should ensure this happens.

4. Avoid sleeping with your contact on

This is in a big way related to overwearing your contacts, which you definitely realize you shouldn't do. However, if you notice after waking up with your contacts on that your eyes are aggravated, and that point your eyes are getting swollen, you need to maintain a strategic distance from sleeping with contacts on. Or on the other hand, microscopic organisms could get in your eye, as it did with this man, and you could wind up going visually impaired.

5. Avoid rubbing your eyes

 Rubbing your eyes may seem like the appropriate technique of solving small problems. Although this is unavoidable, one should take caution when doing so. Rubbing one's eyes continually is usually detrimental as it may lead to developing keratoconus. This is a condition where the cornea loses its original shape adopting a slightly pointy nipple shape. In most cases, the state may lead to blurred vision. However, on rare occasions, it may necessitate one to undergo a cornea transplant. Rubbing eyes should be avoided by both contact wearers and those who do not. One should consider purchasing over-the-counter anti-itching drops to help quiet your eye.

7. Seek medical advice

One of the best ways of protecting one's eyes is by talking to a professional continually. One should ensure that they hold meaningful conversations with eye care providers. The conversations can revolve around issues such as contact lenses and habits. Additionally, one should ensure that they visit an optometrist at least once every year. In case of pain, one should remove their contacts at once and call the necessary person for further direction on how to deal with the problem at hand.