In a recent study, researchers find that most contact lens wearers admit to at least one bad hygiene habit that puts them at risk for eye infections.
Contact lenses provide safe and effective vision correction for an estimated 40 million Americans.
While not everyone wearing contact lens will develop an infection, every year, thousands do.
The researchers find that contact lens wearers risk infection if they fail to wear, clean, disinfect, and store their contact lenses as directed.
Even non-sight threatening infections or inflammation can be painful and disrupt day-to-day life.
Good hygiene, proper contact lens care, and regular follow-up care with your eye care professional are all essential to keeping your eyes healthy.
So how to use contact lens correctly?
Eye care experts encourage people to follow these guidelines:
Wash your hands with soap and water. Dry them well with a clean cloth before touching your contact lenses every time.
Don’t sleep in your contact lenses, unless prescribed by your eye doctor.
Keep water away from your contact lenses. Avoid showering in contact lenses, and remove them before using a hot tub or swimming.
Don’t “top off” solution. Use only fresh contact lens disinfecting solution – never mix the fresh solution with an old or used solution.
Replace your contact lens case at least once every three months.
Rub and rinse your contact lens case with contact lens solution (never water) and empty and dry with a clean tissue paper. Store upside down with the caps off after each use.
Give your eyes a rest. The cornea, the transparent tissue covering each eye, gets deprived of oxygen from being covered up all day by a contact lens.
Starved for air, the cornea starts growing new blood vessels to compensate for the lack of oxygen.
Over-wearing contact lenses can lead to problems such as eye inflammation and lipid deposits in the cornea, which can affect vision. Over-wearing can also increase the risk of infection.
Disinfect the night before planned wear, if you wear contact lenses sporadically. Disinfecting solutions lose their efficacy over time, leading to microbial overgrowth in the case and on the lens.
Decorative lenses must be prescribed and fitted by an eye care professional. Colored contact lenses and Halloween-inspired designs are not costume jewelry.
They require a prescription, just like regular contact lenses. Follow the same hygiene rules as regular contact lenses. Never use lenses that have not been approved by the FDA.
Researchers suggest that most don’t think of contact lenses as a medical device.
But poor habits are a potential gateway for serious eye infections that can cause impaired vision or even blindness.
If you experience eye pain, discomfort, redness or blurred vision, remove your contact lenses immediately and call your doctor.
Copyright © 2018 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
