Best Practices for Hygienic Contact Lens Use

Best Practices To Keep Your Contact Lenses Hygienic And Safe

Today, a broad majority of people are fascinated towards wearing contact lenses to style themselves and also to correct their vision and eyesight in better ways. Some of them are using colored contact lenses with makeup to beautify them in exceptional ways. But how many of them are aware of the best practices of using contact lenses and maintaining their hygiene? Let’s check out what should be done to keep the lenses safe and hygienic.

Contact lenses are one of the safest corrective eyewear solutions that people use wholeheartedly to reduce their hassle. People choose contact lenses over surgery as these ensure utmost safety and improved vision and that too without pain.
It’s true that contact lenses are an effective way to safely correct vision. But if you fail to care for your lenses, it may eventually increase the risk of eye infection.
Here in this detailed blog, you will get access to some proven hacks to enhance safety & security by properly taking care of your contact lenses. But, before jumping to the best practices, take a look at the types of contact lenses.

Types of Material - Soft and Rigid Lenses

1. Soft Contact Lenses

Soft Contact Lenses
Soft contact lenses are the most comfortable as they are made of flexible and soft plastic material that allows oxygen to pass through the eye cornea. In addition, these lenses are considered easier to wear and adjust to as compared to rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Moreover, if you visit an eye care professional today, they will facilitate you with the newer soft lenses made of silicone-hydrogels that provide more oxygen to your eyes while wearing.

2. Rigid Eye Lenses

Hard (PMMA) Lenses
These contact lenses do not allow oxygen to pass through but offer great vision correction. These are difficult to adapt to. With the advent of new age materials that offer comfort with great optics, such lenses are used only sparingly for some specific eyesight conditions.

Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses

Rigid Gas Permeable lenses are more durable in comparison to other contact lenses. These provide a crisp and clear vision to the wearer. These contact lenses are less likely to be easy to wear and handle by users. Moreover, you may face discomfort wearing rigid lenses as compared to soft lenses. But, after using them over time, you will know how to wear RGP contact lenses.

Types of Modality - (Disposable/Replacement Schedule) Contact Lenses

Disposable or planned replacement contact lenses are the most hygienic and safest modality of contact lenses. Due to frequent replacement of lenses, the users are less prone to allergies. Disposable lenses have revolutionized contact lens usage by simplifying the cleaning and caring process. Disposable lenses are available in various replacement schedules or modalities to suit your lifestyles and unique needs.

One Day Disposable
Daily disposable contact lenses are the ideal alternative for anyone. One time use lenses need zero care and maintenance, no solutions or additional chemicals are required along, and are by far the most comfortable. These are also the best alternatives for people who want to wear contact lenses occasionally, infrequently or just for fun. They can wear contact lenses for an entire day, maximum 14-16 hours, and discard them before bed time.

15 Day Disposable
2 weeks or 15 days disposable contact lenses are affordable, safe, and easy to use. These should be replaced after 15 days, but these are worn for a longer duration of time. You need to clean and store them in a fresh solution each time after use.

One Month Disposable
These types of lenses can be worn daily up to one month. The only thing you have to follow is the night disinfection and cleaning for better, long lasting and quality results. People can wear these lenses for 8 or more hours but are not allowed to wear these lenses while sleeping.

Annual Replacement
As the name suggests, annual replacement contact lenses are advised to wear for a maximum of one year (12 months). One must have to be careful while wearing these lenses and follow the instructions given by the eye care professional. You have to be more careful with cleaning and caring for such lenses and not letting the deposits build up on the lens surface as it may lead to eye infection or irritation. These can be used for a limited number of hours in a day. Once these were the only modality of soft contact lenses available but is no longer favoured by contact lens users nor recommended by eye care professionals.

Now, let’s talk about the care and precautions contact lenses need during and after use.

How to Wear Contact Lenses?

If you’re facing difficulty wearing contact lenses, the below tips will help you do it in a few easy steps. Check out the step by step instructions while putting in contact lenses:

• Very first, wash your hands thoroughly and let them dry.
• Now, open your contact lenses case. Use any of your fingertips to put the lens on your non-dominant hand.
• Next, rinse the lens with a lens care solution recommended by Eye Care Professional ECP). Never use regular water.
• Put the contact lens on top of the index finger of your dominant hand.
• Cross-check to make sure if the lenses are not damaged.
• Also, make sure the right side of the lens is facing, meaning you have to turn the lens to form a bowl and not flip out. If it’s not, turn the lens to keep it in the correct form.
• Stand in front of the mirror and hold the upper lid from the edge, collecting the eye lashes with the fingers of the non-dominant hand and the lower lid with the three fingers of the dominant hand.
• Look yourself in the mirror or upward to the ceiling to place the lens correctly in your eye.
• First release the lower lid, you may gently massage the lid as it slides upwards to even out the lens on the eye. Then release the upper lid. IF the upper lid is released before or at same time as the lower lid, the lens may pop out of the eye. place.
• Open your eyes, blink a few times and check if you’re feeling comfortable wearing the lens or the vision is clear or not.
• If you’re not comfortable with the lenses, take them out and rinse your eyes and try again with the same process.

How To Remove Contact Lenses?

Removing contact lenses after some time is crucial as it gives your eyes the chance to breathe freely without restrictions. You must be curious to know the best practices of putting off the contact Lenses. Here are the best steps to remove contact lenses:

• Wash your hands gently and don’t touch lenses until they get dry.
• Pull the lower lid using the 2nd and third finger of the dominant hand.  Pull the upper lid with the fingers of the non-dominant hand as in insertion of lenses.
• Now, pinch the contact lens in your eye with the help of your thumb and index finger.
• It would be best if you cut your fingernails or get them trimmed. This is the best practice to prevent your eyes from hurting or accidentally tearing or putting off the lenses.

This was all about putting and removing the contact lenses. But along with these practices, it’s mandatory to be aware of the hacks of how to use and care for contact lenses you’re wearing.

If you want to keep your eyes healthy by wearing, you have to follow a few contact lens care instructions. Not following these mandatory steps may lead to many critical eye issues, including vision problems and severe infections.

How to Keep Your Contact Lenses Hygienic and Healthy for Eyes?

There are some Do’s and Don'ts for contact lenses care:

Do’s for Contact Lenses Safety

• Do make sure to touch the contact lenses with thoroughly washed and dried hands.
• Do make sure to keep the lenses in disinfecting solution for at least overnight.
• Do throw the solution in your lens case after putting the lens in your eyes.
• Do rinse or wash your lens case using saline solution when you put your lenses there.
• Do replace your contact lens case after every three months.
• Do cut your nails to avoid eye injury or accidental tearing of contacts.

Do’s for Contact Lenses Safety

• Don’t use contact lenses more than the prescribed (time) by the doctor.
• Don’t reuse the contact lens care solution to store your lenses.
• Don’t ever use regular water to clean and store your lenses.
• Don’t sleep with lenses on your eyes.
• Don’t go for a shower or swimming wearing your lenses. Water may have pathogens that can sometimes cause severe eye infections.
• Do not top off - i.e. pour fresh solution over the remainder of the solution in the lens case from previous day

When you know how to use contact lenses, wear contact lenses, and safely remove contact lenses, it’s time to discuss the points about choosing the right contact lenses for your eyes.

Let’s have a short discussion on it!

How to Choose The Right Contact Lens for Your Use?

Choosing the right contact lenses for you is the decision you should make by consulting with your Eye Care Professional. Your decision depends on many factors, including your eyes refractive factor, how much stress and contacts your eyes can bear, your expectations from the lenses, and how ready you’re to take care of your contact lenses.

There are a few things that you can consider before buying or consulting a doctor for eye lenses.

• Be determined about how often you’re going to wear lenses
• How particular are you about the clarity and sharpness of your sight?
• Are you willing to do proper care for your contact lenses?
• Is overnight lens wearing crucial for you, or can you remove the lenses at the end of the day?
• Do you want a different eye color, and choosing the different lens color would be best or not.
• If you need separate prescription for near vision
• If you need bifocals/progressive lenses for your eyes?
• What would be the contact lens cost?
• Would you have allergies or dryness in your eyes post-wearing contact lenses?

Wrap Up:

Carefully wearing and removing contact lenses is one of the most crucial factors to protect your eyes from injury and infections. To avoid eye issues, it’s recommended to follow the instructions with your ECP periodically as it is often easy to skip steps when you use contact lenses regularly. But before buying any of the contacts, check with a qualified ECP to know how contact lenses will make a difference to your vision experience.

Therefore, if you’re planning to have contact lenses, it’s time to consult an ECP who can help you suggest whether or not you should opt for lenses and what should be the type and duration for the lenses you will be wearing.

For better experience, you can call RKumar Opticians to choose the best contact lenses for your eyes and overlook lifestyle.

FAQs

How long should I wear the contact lenses?
You should wear contact lenses based on the instructions given by the manufacturers and the Eye Care Professional. Contact lenses can be worn from 8 to 16 hours comfortably provided they are appropriately chosen and fitted for your eyes by a qualified ECP. It is also advised to remove them before you go to bed to avoid complications.

At what age can a child start wearing contact lenses?
One can begin using contact lenses as young as 8 years if she / he is responsible enough to learn how to insert, remove and care for the lenses. Modern day disposable contact lenses by and large eliminate the chances of severe allergies and infections making contact lens use relatively safe in most cases.

How long does it take to get used to contact lenses?
Most people accept modern day soft contact lenses very swiftly. One begins to feel comfortable within minutes. Follow the instructions and ramp up the wearing schedule as advised by the ECP.

What is the best place to buy contact lenses?
RKumar Opticians is one of the best places where you can buy a variety of contact lenses according to your vision requirement. Each R. Kumar Optical Showroom has an advanced Vision and Contact Lens clinic with state-of-the-art diagnostic and evaluation instruments. We have staffed highly qualified eye care professionals who know how to correctly measure the optical power and eye parameters for scientific and correct contact lens fitting. Our experienced ECP also counsels you and helps you select the right contact lenses to make your experience a joy.

Should I wear contact lenses while playing sports?
Yes, why not. You can absolutely wear contact lenses during sports. In fact, most ECP suggest contact lenses for sports as they are safer and don’t create interruptions while playing. Contact lenses are great for all activities like sports, dancing, gyming, presentation, picnics, vacation, etc. Often the boost in confidence that comes along with going spectacle free (specs-free) is an added bonus.

Can I sleep with contact lenses?
Although there are Extended Wear contact lenses which can be worn while sleeping, these are not advisable as sleeping with contact lenses has its own risks. Because when you sleep, lenses restrict your eyes from taking the oxygen and hydration they need.

How much do contact lenses cost in India?
The cost of contact lenses depends on the type of lenses you purchase. It can be regular vision correction lenses, party lenses, or colored lenses. You can choose any of them from Rkumar Opticians to get an exact pricing detail.

How to use contact lens for the first time?
Consult an eye care professional to learn the best ways, or read the instructions given on the case of the contact lenses. It will provide great help in wearing lens. You can visit R Kumar Opticians where a qualified ECP will guide you in the best possible manner.

Can one use makeup with contact lenses?
Absolutely! Provided you insert the lenses in the eyes before applying make-up and remove the lenses before removing make-up. Use water based eye make-up as oil based products can smear on the contact lenses and are difficult to clean completely. To apply any kind of spray, close the eyes while spraying and wait for a few seconds after spraying before opening the eyes.