The Top Ten Do’s and Don’ts Of Wearing Contact Lenses

Wearing contact lenses is a wonderful and rewarding alternative to wearing your everyday specs. Contacts come along with many convenient benefits and can make your daily activities much more hassle-free. Although they can help you excel at high stakes, fast-paced activities like sports, contact lenses aren’t all fun and games. They can require consistent, thorough care in order to maintain and retain their intended use over extended periods of time. That’s why, in this blog, we’ll be discussing the top ten do’s and don’ts (five each) of wearing contact lenses and helping you determine how to keep your lenses clean and your eyes safe for the long haul. 

Things You Should DO While Wearing Contacts

“Ahh sweet freedom.” Or at least that’s what we assume you’re saying about your new contact lenses. It’s true that contacts do allow for a great deal of freedom in the sense that you don’t have to worry about them:

1. Breaking 
2. Flying off during activities
3. Getting stuck in your hair
4. Slipping down the bridge of your nose
5. Pinching the bridge of your nose
6. Fogging up while you’re wearing a mask
7. And so much more

However, the trade-off of wearing contacts requires that you maintain impeccable hygiene in order to keep them sanitary and safe to wear. Here are some of the things that you always want to do or be aware of throughout your tenure wearing contacts. 

1. DO clean your lenses daily, or as prescribed by your optometrist

If you do not have disposable daily contact lenses, you want to make sure that your contacts are being cleaned regularly and thoroughly on a regular basis. Though your eyes clean themselves, your contacts do not, and they are subject to an innumerable amount of bacteria on a daily basis whether they are in your eye or not. Think of all the flying debris, insects, and allergens you come into contact with. That stuff sticks– literally! It’s far better to be safe than sorry and prevent the risk of any unwanted infections due to lack of proper cleaning. 

2. DO store your lenses in their assigned storage case

Your contact lenses have a home– a cute one may we add! So be sure to return your lenses to their proper home at the end of each use to ensure they stay clean. Storing your contact lenses properly also prevents them from becoming lost and ensures that they’re ready to use again when you need them. 

3. DO dispose of expired contact solution 

Any expired contact solution is unsafe to use. Instead of ridding your lenses of bacteria, using expired solution could be the equivalent of heaping it on! Make sure you check your bottles regularly and discontinue the use of any expired ones as soon as possible.

4. DO properly wash your hands before and after inserting your contact lenses

Your hands touch a myriad of surfaces during the day. Trust us, none of the germs you’ve come in contact with belong in your eyes or on your contacts. Employing proper hand hygiene is a great way to start fresh for each use and to rest assured that your lenses– and your eyes– remain clean and healthy. 

5. DO keep an extra pair of contacts or glasses close by 

Accidents happen, and the last thing you want is to have your eyesight compromised due to an unfortunate scratch or scrape. We recommend that you always keep an extra pair of eyewear close by in case of emergencies.

The “Don’ts” Of Wearing Contacts

Now that you know what to do, the “don’ts” are pretty simple. At the end of the day, the two main things that our team here at Eyedeal Family Eye Care wants you to be mindful of are hygiene and safety. When it comes to contact lenses, we absolutely can’t stress that enough. 

With that in mind, don’t do the following things while wearing contact lenses:

1. DON’T wear your contact lenses for longer than their intended use
2. DON’T lick your contact lenses or use tap water to moisten them
3. DON’T store your contacts loosely in a bag or wrapped up in a paper towel
4. DON’T use tweezers to remove or insert your contact lenses into your eye
5. DON’T reuse contact lens solution from previous nights or use expired contact lens solution

DO Schedule Your Annual Eye Exam With Eyedeal Family Eye Care!

Eyedeal Family Eye Care is here to help. With more helpful tips and professional advice just a phone call away, our staff can’t wait to speak with you! Give us a call today to talk about all things contact lenses or to schedule an appointment for your yearly eye exam. We look forward to hearing from you.