At the young age of seven, I began wearing glasses. To my surprise, the first day I put them on I saw the world in a whole new perspective! Everything was in detail! Fast forward about seven years and I began wearing contacts. The first visit to the optometrist for contacts resulted in me leaving empty handed. I couldn’t get over the fear of touching my eye to put them in. Finally, I decided I’d give contacts another try and everything went great that time around. I officially said goodbye to my glasses I had worn my entire life. I thought I knew it all, like most teens, about wearing contacts; however, through much trial and error, I ended up learning the hard way. It was a bumpy road to get to this point with a few failed attempts. The good new is, I’ve finally figured it out.
Today, nearly 41 million adults in the U.S. and 125 million people worldwide wear contact lenses. When patients do not use lenses as directed by an eye doctor, the consequences can be dangerous and can even damage the eyes, potentially causing long-term problems with vision and eye health. Clean and safe handling of contacts is one of the most important measures wearers can take protect vision. Here are some common contact lens mistakes you may not even realize you’re doing.
Today, nearly 41 million adults in the U.S. and 125 million people worldwide wear contact lenses. When patients do not use lenses as directed by an eye doctor, the consequences can be dangerous and can even damage the eyes, potentially causing long-term problems with vision and eye health. Clean and safe handling of contacts is one of the most important measures wearers can take protect vision. Here are some common contact lens mistakes you may not even realize you’re doing.
Cleaning Your Contacts with Tap Water or Wet Drops
31% of consumers admit to using rewetting drops, and 16 percent use tap water to clean contact lenses instead of a multi purpose solution. It is crucial to clean your contacts with a proper multi purpose solution in order to properly remove buildup that can lead to bacterial growth if not properly removed.
Not Maintaining a Consistent Hygiene Routine
You should always wash and dry your hands before handling your contacts. Even if you feel you just washed your hands, always make sure you do so immediately before handling.
Only Soaking Your Lenses
It’s safe to say many of use just place our contacts in the case, pour some solution in, and let them soak overnight. This is wrong! The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends you carefully rub your lenses with your clean fingers, then rinse prior to placing them in the solution to soak.
Not Replacing Your Case
You should never use your storage case for more than a 3 month period. Any longer and you pose the risk for a dirty habitat for your contacts to be stored.
Reusing Solution
Being conservative on solution is never a good idea. You should always rinse your case and replace it with fresh solution after each use.
Waiting to Change Once They are Bothersome
Many will try to make their lenses last longer by waiting to change out their contacts once they become bothersome. This is actually very dangerous to the eyes. You should always follow your doctor’s recommended changing schedule, which is based on the type of contacts you wear. Failure to do so can result in bacterial infections and permanent eye damage.
Do you wear contacts? Make sure you aren’t making common contact lens mistakes by learning more about the proper care here.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Elizabeth Falcigno says
Omg this made me cringe… I can't believe people clean their contacts with tap water!! Maybe I'm just overly careful.. but I'm a cleaning fanatic with my contacts!! I use ClearCare solution.. it has hydrogen peroxide and helps keep my lenses really clean.
Dara @ The Southern Thing says
I'm the same way too! It's not worth risking getting an eye infection!
Jill @ RunEatSnap says
I make some of these mistakes – I wear my contacts longer than I should and I reuse the solution quite often. Yikes!
Dara @ The Southern Thing says
I used to always wear my contacts longer than I should. It helps to put a reminder on your phone to change them out!
adriana nudo says
Love this post!!! I've been wearing glasses since I was in 3rd grade and contacts since I was in 5th grade (I'm 21 now). I've tried SO many different brands, styles, perscriptions, etc. but my vision is SO bad – literally my left eyes dialation is a -4.00 and my right eye is -3.00 haha these are great tips! I recently switched to the daily lenses and I LOVE them, best thing I ever did for my eyes! Getting to wear new lenses every day is amazing!
xo Adriana – Daily Dose of Design
Dara @ The Southern Thing says
Oh wow! I've been wearing glasses since 2nd grade and I'm at a -3.75 strength. Every year my eyes get worse! I haven't tried the daily contacts yet, but I may have to. A new pair everyday sounds great!
cye ilker says
I have lived with eye problems since I was in high school and tried contact lens. It's a hard work for me since I think I'm a little lazy person. This is really a useful tip for those who uses contacts since it won't be easy..
Joanna Malefaki says
I once didn't read the instructions of a contacts lens cleanser and I went to hospital cause I burnt my eyes!! I am OK now but wearing contacts is not for me any more!
Hil D says
I am guilty of so many of these! Oops thanks for the reminder!
Rosalyn Osorto says
Great tips!! I've had the same case longer than three months, and I replace my contacts when they become bothersome to get a longer use of them! Oops!
Hannah Stein says
This is such a great reminder, thanks so much for writing this post! I'm SO bad about cleaning my contacts before I put them in and I know I should, so this is just a friendly reminder to get my butt back on track!
Domicile 37 says
The doctor has recently told me that I need to wear my contacts more and I am been trying so hard to do everything that I need so that nothing horrible happens to my eye.
Jasmine says
I'm so stubborn when it comes to contact lenses, I over use them. I learned to take them off once I don't need to wear them. I started to get veins in my eyes that didn't belong there and my doctor told me I needed to stop. Glad you shared this 🙂
Sydney S says
I've only been wearing contacts for a few months now, and these tips are so helpful!
xo, Syd
http://www.sincerelysyd9.blogspot.com