Contact lenses are an effective and safe way to correct your vision without prescription glasses. Caring for them is beneficial to their functionality and longevity. It also ensures the well-being of your eyes. Keeping contacts clean depends on the type that you are using. Conventional lenses require the most care, while disposable ones need less.

Need for Contact Lens Care

The information surrounding proper contact lens care and use is vital to anyone using these devices. Without this guidance, you increase your chances of experiencing eye complications. These include inflammation of your cornea and existing keratitis infections, depending on the type of infection. The contaminants include various bacteria, germs, viruses, fungi, and amoebas.

Improper use of contacts may lead to complications such as scratches on your cornea, dry eyes, and allergies. The infections that result have symptoms like:
 

• Fluidlike discharge or watery eyes

• Eye irritation and redness

• Blurry vision

• Sensitivity to light

• Pain that extends after removing the contacts

Contact Lens Cleaning Tips for Healthy Eyes

Depending on the contact lens you wear, you need to follow these tips to ensure the health of your eyes.

Hand Cleanliness

Every time you wear and remove your lenses, ensure your hands are clean. Wash and rinse them with mild soap. Do not use lotions or those with oils or perfumes since they leave or create an environment conducive to film formation on your hands. If they get onto the contacts, they may cause blurry vision or irritation in your eyes.

Handling Makeup

When handling makeup, wear your lenses before applying the makeup close to your eyes. Remove them before taking off your close-to-eye cosmetics. To avoid damage to the lens and scratches to your eyes, maintain short fingernails. For those who use hair spray, do it some minutes before wearing your lenses.

Cleaning Your Lenses

Ensure your contacts are clean after washing and drying your hands. Only use the prescription contact lens solution to soak and rinse your lenses before handling them. Avoid the temptation to rinse with tap water to clean them when you are in a hurry or feeling irritation. Doing so increases your vulnerability to amoeba-like acanthamoeba keratitis. The protozoan is present in different water sources.

Complications from these sources can infect your cornea and cause severe damage to your eyes that may result in blindness. Also, avoid swimming, showering, or dipping in hot tubs while wearing the lenses.

Response to Irritation

The usual human response to most visual issues involves rubbing the eyes. However, you must resist this urge while wearing contact lenses. It may do more than smudge your lenses. It may cause issues with your eyes by damaging your cornea. 

The best approach to this problem involves removing your lenses before attempting your response. Doing this every time you feel the urge may be an unachievable undertaking. Keep in mind that the alternative may have worse consequences. If the condition becomes persistent, consult your doctor for solutions.

For more information on properly caring for your contact lenses, visit San Marino Optometry at our office in San Marino, California. Call (626) 415-3600 to book an appointment today. We proudly serve the San Marino, San Gabriel, and Arcadia communities.