Contact lenses are a great option for getting a break from wearing glasses, changing up your look, seeing clearly while playing sports, or shovelling the driveway without your lenses fogging up. At The Eye Studio, we believe in finding you the type of contacts that work for you. And with a variety of lens types, it has never been easier to wear contacts.
Despite the great options for contact lenses, it is important to not forget that all contact lenses are a piece of plastic that sits on your eye. We always remind patients that contact lenses are like a pair of jeans. While we have a good idea of what contact lens is best for you based on the health and curve of the front of the eye, we can’t be sure it is going to fit properly until we look at it in your eyes. Contact lenses that are too tight on the eye may initially feel comfortable but risk depriving your eyes of oxygen. Contact lenses that are too loose may create too much friction and change the texture of the inner lining of the eyelid, which can lead to discomfort and intolerance to contact lenses.
We’ve assembled some of our best recommendations for optimal fit, care, and maintenance of your contact lenses so you can get back to living with comfortable vision.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Contact Lens Wear
When contact lenses fit properly and are taken care of properly, the risk of an adverse event (something bad happening to your eyes) remains low. Here are some things you need to know to help keep your eyes safe while enjoying your glasses-free vision.
Don’t Wear Contacts Not Fit on Your Eyes
So, how do you ensure that contact lenses fit properly? Start by having them fitted by your optometrist. At a contact lens fitting, we will choose a lens for you, have you try it on, assess your vision and fit, and make sure that you know how to use and care for your lenses properly.
Once you are fit in a contact lens, it is important to keep up with ongoing appointments, at least yearly, to help ensure your lenses fit well and remain healthy for your eyes. In fact, a risk factor for microbial keratitis (an infection of the cornea, which can be visually devastating) in contact lens wearers is ordering lenses online, without your optometrist’s oversight. Remember, if someone offers you contact lenses without properly assessing them on your eyes or without requiring ongoing in-office appointments, they are putting your vision at risk.
Do Keep Up with Daily Care
We often tell patients that everything in life comes with risks, and contact lens wear is no exception. What’s important, though, is understanding what we can do to minimize the risk of eye infection and inflammation while using contact lenses:
Wash your hands before handling your contact lenses. Avoid using soap with microbeads, as these can get caught on your hands and get caught behind a contact lens—ouch!
Never use water with your contact lenses. This means only using cleaning solutions or routines your optometrist prescribes and NEVER storing your contact lenses in water.
You should also not wear your contact lenses in water. No swimming, hot tubbing, showering, or bathing with contacts in. If you are around water and want to wear your contacts, we recommend goggles so water will not get into the eyes. Water exposure poses a risk for an infection called acanthamoeba keratitis (we wouldn’t recommend Googling unless gory pictures help you remember why it is important to take care of your contact lenses!), which is a difficult-to-treat infection of the eye that can lead to permanent vision loss.
Don’t Sleep in Your Contacts
The cornea (the clear part of the eye your contact lens sits on) is an avascular structure–it does not have a blood supply within it to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the tissue. When your eyes are closed, your cornea gets less oxygen.
Sleeping with a contact lens further deprives your eyes of oxygen. If the oxygen levels dip too low, your cornea can become hypoxic, leading to infection and inflammation.
Don’t ‘Tough Out’ Wearing Contacts
When in doubt, take it out! Don’t ‘tough out’ wearing contact lenses. If you have any discomfort or pain or if you are sick (cold, flu, etc.), you should not wear your contact lenses. (This is also why we recommend having a backup pair of glasses.) Your optometrist can assess any red eyes, discharge, vision changes, pain, or persistent discomfort to determine if something is wrong with your fit, or if contacts aren’t right for you.
How The Eye Studio Can Help
Interested in contact lenses? Unsure if the lenses you are wearing are right for you? Nervous you have never had proper contact lens care with an optometrist?
Give us a call! We would be happy to see you for an appointment and ensure we are doing everything possible to keep your eyes healthy. Book your appointment now.
