CARE FOR CONTACT LENSES – USEFUL TIPS FROM CALGARY EYE DOCTORS
Contact lenses are designed for daily use and it is important that they are kept clean and sanitary. Not caring for your lenses could lead to a variety of complications, including severe eye infections that may lead to something as serious as permanent blindness.
Unlike in the past, caring for your soft contact lenses today is much easier than you think. In fact, now you can find one-bottle care systems and a variety of cleaning trays at your local pharmacy. If caring for your contacts each night does not work for you, consider looking for daily disposable contact lenses from your Calgary optometrist instead.
5 Basic Steps to Cleaning Your Contact Lenses
It is important that you follow any specific care guidelines provided to you by your eye doctor. If you have chronic dry eye or excess protein in the eye, your eye doctor may prescribe a special cleaning solution. To clean, follow these five steps:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as this will ensure you do not contaminate your eyes with dirt or germs. Do not apply any moisturizer on your hands before touching your lenses.
- Remove the lens and clean it with your recommended cleaning solution. This will remove any buildup, cosmetics, and other debris that affect the condition of your contact lens. Rub the lens gently in the palm of your hand using a few drops of your prescribed solution.
- Rinse your lens thoroughly to remove any loosened debris.
- Place your contact lens in a clean lens case with a fresh dispensing of solution. Always clean and remove old solution from your contact lens case.
- Repeat the process for the second lens.
You should thoroughly clean and sanitize your contact lens case every day. This can be done with hot water and air drying the container after wash.
When wearing contacts, you must remember to take them out each night before going to bed. Discard your cleaning solution if you ever contract an eye infection. The likelihood of your solution container being contaminated while dispensing solution is higher too.
Contact lenses only last for the time they are prescribed for—daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. If it is time for new contacts, visit the Calgary eye doctors at Crowfoot Vision Centre. We carry a full line of soft and disposable lenses to choose from. We can also recommend the right cleaning solution based on your eye characteristics.
Call us at (403) 241-3000 to schedule an eye exam or contact us online with your questions.