Contact Lens Care Made Easy!

Few things affect the quality of your life more than your eyes. Never put them at risk. Contact lenses are prescription medical devices. To make sure your eyes and vision stay healthy while wearing contact lenses, please follow these few guidelines or the instructions recommended by your doctor.

Warning: Ocular complications and/or long-term corneal damage are the consequences of contact lenses that are worn longer than recommended. Oftentimes, your lenses will still feel good even when you are over-wearing them. Do not wear your lenses overnight unless they are approved for extended wear and your doctor has discussed this with you. Overnight wear increases the risk of infection and other complications.

Wearing Schedule
It will take at least a few days for your eyes to get used to wearing contact lenses. The best way to insure maximum visual comfort and keep your eyes healthy is to patiently and faithfully adhere to this wearing schedule.

DON’T wear your lenses longer than 14 hours a day until your first follow-up visit with your doctor, unless the doctor has specifically told you otherwise.

DON’T continue use of contact lenses if your eyes become red, irritated, painful, or if your vision gets worse while wearing lenses. Immediately take out the lenses and clean them. Let your eyes get back to normal and if the problem persists, contact our office.

DON’T exceed the wearing times suggested, even if your lenses still feel comfortable. Studies have proven that the eye needs time to adapt to contact lenses, and your wearing schedule is based on those studies.

DO always remove your contact lenses at least one hour before going to bed to allow for proper oxygen nourishment to the cornea.

DO schedule and keep follow-up appointments with your eye doctor.

DO wear your contact lenses for at least 4 hours the day of your follow-up appointment unless you are experiencing discomfort.

Caring For Your Contacts

Deposits and infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses--etc., can build up on the surface of all contact lenses. For this reason, it is very important to keep them clean and disinfected and to discard them when recommended.

There are four steps in contact lens care--follow the care prescribed for your lenses:

1. Cleaning removes dirt, mucous, and other debris that gets on the lenses during wear.
2. Disinfecting kills bacteria (germs) on the lenses. Disinfecting is essential to prevent serious eye infections.
3. Rinsing removes the other solutions from the lenses and prepares the lenses for wear.
4. Enzyming uses enzyme drops or tablets to remove protein and other deposits that build up over time on the lenses. (This step is optional for lenses replaced every month or sooner).

The best way to properly care for your lenses is to develop a care routine, then stick to that routine! Remember to:

1. Follow the directions outlined by your eye doctor.
2. Multi-purpose solutions can be used for more than one step in contact lens care. Read the label to see which functions the solutions can be used for. .
3. When you remove your lenses, they must be cleaned, rinsed, and disinfected before they are worn again.
4. Lenses that have been stored for more than 12 hours may need to be cleaned, disinfected, and rinsed again.
5. Make sure solution containers are kept closed tightly, stored upright, and kept in a clean, dry, cool place when you are not using them. Keep your case clean and replace it every 2-3 months to prevent bacterial growth.
6. Don’t touch container bottle tips to any surface to prevent them from becoming contaminated.
7. Throw away expired solutions. (Look on the bottle for the expiration date!)
8. Use new solution in your contact lenses case every day.
9. Discuss with your eye doctor the care for your lenses if you wear them while swimming in a pool or hot tub.
10. Only use approved rewetting drops for lubricating or wetting your lenses. Never place the lenses in your mouth. (That’s just gross.)
11. Do not use tap water to rinse soft contact lenses.
12. Be careful with makeup, lotions, creams and sprays--consider putting on lenses before makeup and remove them before removing makeup. Also, water-based makeup is less likely to damage lenses than oil-based makeup.

THE BIGGEST RISK OF CONTACT LENSES IS VISION LOSS FROM CORNEAL INFECTIONS. If you experience pain, extreme light sensitivity, redness, or blurry vision, immediately remove your lenses and contact our office. Permanent vision loss can almost always be prevented if you come in right away.