You get up in the morning, brush your teeth, dress up, put some makeup, wear your contact lenses, pick your handbag, and leave for office. That quick minute in putting your contact lenses may seem right but think about it again. Are you taking necessary precautions before wearing them on a daily basis? Are you doing enough justice to your delicate eyes?
It is a fact that people who wear contact lenses regularly are at an increased risk of getting eye infections compared to those who do not. No matter how properly you handle your lenses and take care of your eyes, slip-ups are common.
Have a look at some of the common mistakes that contact lens wearers make:
1. Sleeping in your contacts: Wearing lenses while sleeping increases your chance of getting serious eye infections. Always make sure to remove your lens even before taking a small nap.
2. Reusing the same lens solutions for days: Don’t save money from your lens solutions. When you use the same lens solution for more than a day, it gets depleted of its organism-killing biocide, making it ineffective for disinfecting your lenses when you use it again. Make a habit of always putting your lenses in a fresh solution after every use.
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3. Swimming or taking shower with contacts in: Avoid swimming anywhere with your lenses in, and remove your lenses before a bath or shower as it increases the risk of developing an infection.
4. Not washing hands before wearing contact lenses: Throughout the day, you touch a number of things that are infected with bacteria and viruses (doors, keyboards, handles, etc). And, when you touch your eyes without washing those hands, you transfer those microorganisms into your eyes. So, it is advised to wash your hands with soap prior to touching your eyes/wearing contact lenses.
5. Wearing contact lenses longer than prescribed: Every contact lens comes with a certain wearing time, ranging from 4 hours to 14 hours. Wearing contact lenses more than the recommended time does not allow as much oxygen to reach your eyes as when you keep your eyes naked. So, remove your contact lenses on time to give your eyes a break and let them breathe.
6. Using tap water to clean lenses: Do you clean your lenses with tap water, if yes then stop doing it right away! More than saving, you are destroying your contact lenses and your eyes. Tap water contains certain harmful bacteria, such as Acanthamoeba, which can potentially lead to blindness. Therefore, it is strictly advised to always use a lens solution for cleaning your contact lenses.
Wearing contact lenses beats the trouble of wearing glasses every day, but it comes with risks. Avoid making these common mistakes, and you can significantly reduce the risk of getting an infection or damage that could harm your delicate eyes.
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