There’s a lot to remember about contact lens care. But with regular practice, it will soon feel like second nature. Keep these tips in mind.
Do:
- Always wash your hands before touching your eyes. Touching your eyes with dirty fingers is one of the easiest ways to introduce an eye infection.
- Start with the same eye every time you remove and replace your contacts. This way, you will create a habit. You won’t have to think about which lens to put in or take out, which lens you just cleaned, and which side of the storage case it belongs in.
- If you wear makeup, put in your contact lenses before applying makeup, especially eye makeup. Then, remove your lenses before taking off the makeup at night.
- Try water-resistant eye makeup to prevent flaking. And use hypoallergenic, oil-free makeup removers to prevent eye irritation.
- If your eyes are feeling dry, try rewetting drops that are approved for contact lenses.
- If your eyes are irritated or red, remove your contact lenses and switch to eyeglasses. Contact your doctor if your eyes don’t get better.
- Always keep an extra pair of contacts and/or your glasses handy. This way, if you ever lose or tear a lens or find yourself in a situation without your cleaning supplies and storage case, you still have options for seeing.
Don’t:
- Never use expired cleaning products.
- Don’t stretch out wearing your contacts for longer than recommended.
- Don’t reuse cleaning solution or top off old solution with new.
- Don’t use water, saline solution, or your saliva to clean or store your lenses.
- Don’t automatically reuse contacts that have been sitting in a cleaning solution in a lens case for a long time. You may either need to re-disinfect them or toss them out and put in a fresh pair. Check your disinfectant solution directions for guidelines on how long they can be safely stored.
- Don’t sleep in your contacts. Even if you have extended-wear contacts, talk with your doctor about sleeping in them. Most doctors recommend you remove your lenses at night to keep your eyes healthy.
- Don’t swim with your contacts. Or, at the very least, use tight-fitting goggles that don’t allow water to come in contact with your eyes. Not only might your contacts wash away, but the bigger concern is that water can get under your lens and cause a serious infection.
New to wearing contacts? See our step-by-step guide for how to disinfect and store your lenses the right way. Then, learn what kind of cleaning products to use.
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