Nothing quite compares to the feeling you have when you first step out of the shower. Being fresh and clean feels great and keeps you healthy in more ways than one. This is especially true with your eyes.
Taking proper care of your contact lenses is the first step to ensuring your and your eyes’ happiness. You should always change your contact lenses on time and care for them as directed.
Here are some simple steps you can take to help keep your eyes in good health:
Follow instructions.
Your eye doctor’s instructions and the directions for your contact lens solution and case are all part of a carefully thought-out system designed to help you care for your specific lenses and their products in a way that helps protect your eyes. If you break from any one of these prescribed procedures, the whole system could be affected.
Adhere to the recommended replacement plan.
When you follow your recommended replacement schedule, you keep your eyes happy, healthy, and bright. Never try to extend the life of your lenses. If you wear biweekly or monthly replacement lenses, don’t try to stretch lens wear beyond your eye care professional's prescribed replacement schedule. CooperVision has contact lenses for every replacement schedule, so work with your doctor to find one that’s right for you. You can also check out the Find The Right Lens tool for help.
Always use fresh solution and a clean lens case.
If you use a multipurpose solution, upon removal of your contact lenses, it is important to rub and rinse your contact lenses with the solution. Over time, contact lenses tend to collect protein deposits. Proteins exist naturally in your tears, but when they deposit themselves on your contact lenses, it can cause your vision to appear cloudy. Protein deposits can degrade lens surface quality and may stimulate an immune response, which means your eyes can start to get itchy, watery, and irritated if there are too many protein deposits. This is one of many reasons why cleaning your reusable contact lenses is so important. Researchers have found that "rub and rinse" is still the best way to keep your contact lenses free from microorganisms. Use the solution recommended by your doctor and never try to clean or soak your contacts in tap water. Tap water can carry pathogens and bacteria that cause infections. Rinse out cases with multipurpose solution after every use, and store them open and upside down in a dry, clean place. The American Optometric Association recommends replacing your contact lens case as recommended by the manufacturer or your eye care professional.
Develop routines and reminders.
If you replace your contact lenses the same day of the week, you are more likely to remember to replace them on time. If you still have trouble remembering to replace your contact lenses, make sure to set up an alert on your phone, calendar, or planner. Purchasing an annual supply of your contact lenses is another way to makes things simpler for you because you will always have the lenses you need on the days that you need to replace them.
Switch to 1 Day lenses.
If cleaning and caring for contact lenses is not your thing, talk to your doctor about 1 Day lenses. You never need to clean 1 Day lenses because you throw them away every night and replace them with a fresh new pair the next day. And just because these lenses are disposable doesn’t mean they are of lesser quality. In fact, 1 Day lenses are made of the same types of materials as replacement lenses. You can even get them in silicone hydrogel—the most breathable, healthiest* contact lens material available.
We want everything we put in or on our bodies to be fresh. Contact lenses are no exception.
* With higher oxygen permeability than hydrogel materials, silicone hydrogel contact lenses minimize or eliminate hypoxia-related signs and symptoms during lens wear
Nothing in this blog post is to be construed as medical advice, nor is it intended to replace the recommendations of a medical professional. For specific questions, please see your eye care practitioner.