Do you put on contact lenses? Healthista Editor Olivia Hartland-Robbins spoke to Rebecca Stoner, Head of Skilled Affairs at eye care firm Alcon, who reveals the 5 key guidelines to maintain your eyes wholesome and secure
Contact lenses – love them or detest them, there are a lot of individuals who depend on them as a way to see clearly each day.
I personally actually can not see with out them.
There are roughly four.2 million contact lens wearers within the UK, based on the Affiliation of Contact Lens Producers (ACLM).
That represents 9 per cent of adults aged 15-to 64 years.
Through the years I’ve found the dos and don’ts of contact lenses – emphasis on the ‘years’ half.
I hate to confess this however I knew the principles and utterly ignored them.
After all this led to some too many eye infections and worrying issues.
I keep in mind at College I used to sleep in my contact lenses in order that I may ‘nonetheless see once I wakened within the morning’ – ridiculous I do know. I might get up and all the pieces would look cloudy and but I nonetheless didn’t take them out.
I strongly advise you to heed my warning
I might consistently put on contact lenses within the bathe, and try to put them in even after making use of make with my foundation-covered fingers. I might additionally practically gouge out my eyes each day when making an attempt to take away my contact lenses no due to my lengthy acrylic nails.
I’ve made ALL the errors there are to make as a contact lens wearer and I’m right here to inform you I strongly advise you to heed my warning.
In my try to proper my contact lens wrongs, I spoke to Rebecca Stoner, Head of Skilled Affairs at eye care firm Alcon, who revealed the 5 key guidelines you need to follow in the event you put on contact lenses…
Rule #1 At all times take your contacts out earlier than mattress
There are some contact lenses which might be designed to be slept in or worn in a single day, nonetheless sleeping in some contact lenses will increase the danger of eye infections or issues.
Our tears assist maintain our corneas moist and supply the cornea with a continuing stream of oxygen. Once we sleep, we’re not blinking to replenish our tear movie and so oxygen stream and hydration naturally reduces.
As soon as the lenses are eliminated it’s finest to stay to your glasses for a day
Sleeping in lenses that aren’t designed for in a single day put on could make this discount extra extreme. With out sufficient oxygen — typically known as hypoxia — the cornea can lose its potential to battle micro organism successfully.
If you happen to accidently sleep in lenses, strive to not fear and simply take away your lenses as quickly as you’ll be able to.
Typically the lenses can really feel dry and caught to your eye, strive to not pull at them, a number of drops of an eye fixed drop will help lubricate the attention and transfer the lens extra freely.
As soon as the lenses are eliminated it’s finest to stay to your glasses for a day, and take note of your eyes. If they’re painful, changing into rising redder or your imaginative and prescient has modified contact your eye care skilled.
Rule #2 Lenses first, make up later
Cosmetics are cool, however not for contact lenses. So, pop your lenses in earlier than slapping in your make up.
If make up accidently will get in your eye it could possibly follow the contact lens, affecting the consolation of the lens but in addition the imaginative and prescient via the contact lens, however it could possibly additionally get trapped behind your lenses and this may scratch your cornea.
That is extra more likely to occur if lenses go in after you’ve executed your make up.
may also get trapped behind your lenses and this may scratch your cornea
If you happen to’ve forgotten to place your lenses in earlier than you began your make up, attempt to keep in mind to place them in earlier than you do any eye make-up, make sure that your fingers are clear and dry and that any make up in your face is dry but it surely’s at all times finest to get them in first.
Rule #three Don’t clear contacts with faucet water
Don’t use faucet water for cleansing your contact lenses as faucet water is stuffed with microbes which aren’t any good in your eyes.
Microbes are tiny dwelling issues which might be discovered throughout us and are too small to be seen by the bare eye. The most typical varieties are micro organism, viruses and fungi.
If you happen to drop a contact lens merely get rid of it and open a brand new blister pack.
Rule #four Don’t use saliva both
Saliva is house to nasties which might injury your beautiful, wholesome eyes.
It might shock you that some individuals do, however by no means ever use saliva in your contact lenses.
Saliva comprises microbes that belong in your mouth, however that may trigger infections in your eyes says the American Academy of Optometrists.
by no means ever use saliva in your contact lenses
Reusable lenses could also be cleaned and reused based on the modality (bi-weekly or month-to-month); nonetheless, day by day lenses are designed to be modified every day.
Rule #5 Keep away from utilizing your nails or tweezers to take away your contacts
Don’t use fingernails, tweezers or another software when dealing with your contact lenses.
Contact lenses can tear or turn into broken if dealt with with something sharp. So maintain it easy, ensure you solely deal with your lenses with clear, dry fingers.
Longer nails can tear and injury your lens so it’s a good suggestion to maintain your fingernails shorter, particularly when new to carrying lenses.
lenses have to be eliminated with the pads of your fingers and never utilizing the nail itself
If nails are longer, lenses have to be eliminated with the pads of your fingers and never utilizing the nail itself, some individuals discover it simpler to maintain the thumb and first fingernail shorter to assist with this.
However it’s additionally essential to recollect micro organism is commonly extra concentrated underneath fingernails, because it’s an space that will not be uncovered to the identical quantity of motion as the remainder of the fingers throughout handwashing, so scrubbing with a nail brush throughout handwashing is suggested.
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