Decreasing The Risk Of Irritated Eyes From Your New Contacts

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Whether you are a teen new to the world of vision correction or an adult who desires a change, wearing contact lenses is a great option for improving your vision. While contacts are less visible on your face compared to eyeglasses, wearing and caring for this form of vision correction requires a bit more practice. If you are newly part of the 30 million people in the United States who wear contact lenses, understanding how to clean and care for your contacts and eyes is essential. Using this guide, you can clean your contacts safely while preventing eye irritation.

Safe Handling

Since you will remove and insert the contacts, your hands must be clean. Washing your hands is necessary, but it involves more than just a quick rinse under the sink faucet. 

Before touching your eyes or contact lenses, wash your hands using warm water and antibacterial soap. If you do not have access to water and soap, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 

Sing the Happy Birthday song twice while washing your hands, but do not stop washing until the song is complete. This ensures you wash your hands for a sufficient amount of time. After washing, use a clean towel or automatic dryer to dry your hands.

Once you know your hands are clean, you can handle your contact lenses safely. Place a few drops of lens cleaner and the contact lens in the palm of your hand. Then, use the tip of your finger to gently rub the solution onto the lens.

Place the contact lens into your storage case and fill with additional lens solution. Allow your contacts to soak overnight. Each night, rinse out your storage container and refill with new lens solutions to ensure your contacts remain bacteria-free.

Homemade Cleaning Solution

Visit your local discount or drug store and you will see a large selection of lens-cleaning solutions. While these are effective cleaners, they may contain ingredients that can irritate your eyes. To create an effective lens cleaner that is gentle for your eyes, consider the following:

  • Simple Saline – Combine ½ cup of distilled water with ½ teaspoon of table salt. Mix with a spoon before adding a small amount to the compartments of your storage container. Use to soak you contacts each night.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide – Add a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the compartment of your lens' container. Allow the lenses to soak overnight with the container lids on. The hydrogen peroxide will remove surface debris while killing bacteria that may be present on your contacts.

Proper Eye Care

Since you will be making contact with your eyes frequently when wearing prescription lenses, your eyes may become irritated. Decreasing this irritation is possible by taking good care of your eyes. 

Visit your eye doctor regularly for routine exams and adjustments on your prescription.  If you are experiencing irritation, itching, redness, or pain while wearing contact lenses, consult your eye doctor immediately.

While proper cleaning of your contacts is imperative, washing your face and eyes each morning is also important. Wash your face and flush out your eyes with warm water each morning to remove dirt, dust, and particles that accumulate during sleep.  

A healthy lifestyle can also improve and protect the underlying health of your eyes. Smoke will irritate your eyes and contacts, so quit smoking immediately.

Eating a healthy diet is also smart for your eyes. Eat foods rich in lutein, beta carotene, and antioxidants, such as spinach, kale, carrots, and berries. Adding foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, cod, and sardines, protects your eye from dryness and decreases your risk of glaucoma

Choosing to wear contact lenses is smart for improved vision, but proper care and understanding is essential for your eye health. Using this guide and the help of your eye doctor, your new contacts will be safe and effective. Contact a company like Discover  Vision Centers for more tips.

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18 February 2016

Learning About Optometry Tools and Techniques

Hello, my name is Martin. Welcome to my site about optometry. I want to use this website to talk about all of the tools and techniques used to measure vision and eye health. Optometrists can accurately measure the patient's ability to see by simply performing a series of unique tests. The visions tests require the patient's participation to find the right prescription for corrective lenses. The rest of the exam is performed to check the health of the eye from the surface to the retina. I invite you to follow along and learn all you can about this interesting subject. Thanks for visiting.