Over 20 percent of lens-related eye infections reported over 10 years resulted in eye damage. This high percentage proves the importance of wearing contact lenses safely.
A good way to do this is to learn about common contact lens mistakes and how to avoid them. Read on to do so.
1. Don’t Wear Contact Lenses to Bed
When you’ve had a tiring day, you likely won’t want to bother with your lenses. As a result, you’ll end up wearing contact lenses to bed. This is a very dangerous thing to do.
Your eyes need oxygen to fight off bacteria and microbes. The longer you leave your contact lenses on, the less oxygen your eyes get. As a result, they will be more at risk for infection.
2. Don’t Touch Your Lenses With Dirty Hands
Human hands pick up hundreds of different bacteria and microbes throughout the day. These can all transfer to your eyes when you remove your lenses. Once the harmful germs are there, they can cause dangerous infections.
Luckily, you can easily stop this from happening. All you need to do is wash and dry your hands before you touch your lenses.
3. Don’t Use Your Contact Lens Case Improperly
Contact lens cleaning solutions aren’t enough to keep your lens case clean. It’s also important to clean it out periodically. Be sure to do this with soap and water.
In many cases, though, cleaning your case isn’t enough. Certain germs can still cling to it no matter how much you wash it. Therefore, it’s important to replace your case often.
4. Don’t Wear Your Lenses Too Long
Certain contact lenses can last for a month and others for a few days. Be sure you’re replacing contact lenses as their instructions dictate. Not doing so puts you at risk of many dangers.
To start with, it’s inevitable that bacteria will build up on older lenses. By using them too long, you’ll expose your eyes to these germs.
Also, older lenses will probably have scratches or tears. In the best cases, these will only irritate your eyes. In the worst cases, they will injure them.
5. Don’t Swim With Lenses On
When you swim with contact lenses on, water can get trapped between them and your eyes. You may not think this is an issue.
However, even the cleanest bodies of water can still contain germs. You don’t want these to become stuck between your lenses and eyes. This state can put them at risk for infection.
Therefore, remove your lenses before you go swimming.
Learn More Than Just About Contact Lens Mistakes
You may feel annoyed by the inconveniences of taking proper care of your lenses. When you feel this way, remind yourself that eye infections and damage will be more annoying. In this way, you’ll recognize that committing contact lens mistakes is not worth the risk.
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