Contact Lenses: 3 Crucial Tips for Avoiding Eye Infections

Contact lenses are the ideal alternatives to traditional spectacles. In general, these corrective lenses are favourable over glasses because of their convenience. Their compact design and contact function ensure that their power is optimised. In addition, contact lenses are more comfortable to wear then glasses which can cause stress to the nose and ears.

Unfortunately, the use of contact lenses can leave one more vulnerable to infections. However, you should keep in mind that most of these infections occur due to incorrect wear and general use of the products. Therefore, if your optometrist has prescribed contacts, you must utilise them correctly to avoid complications. Here are essential tips for avoiding eye infections.

1. Keep Your Hands Clean

You should keep your hands clean when handling contact lenses. In most cases, infections occur because of unclean fingers touching the eyes and lenses. You must remember that the hands are usually covered in dirt, grime and germs. Therefore, wash your hands thoroughly before removing or applying your lenses. Do not use moisturisers or other oils before completing your task. It is also advisable to keep your nails clean and short. Long nails harbour harmful microorganisms and dirt, and they increase the risk of accidentally scratching the eye.

2. Avoid Solution Reuse

Your contact lenses must always be clean and most for optimal performance and comfort. Therefore, you should purchase the recommended cleaning solution for cleaning the lenses. Moreover, you must always use fresh material to clean your lenses. Simply speaking, you should never reuse your old lens cleaning solution for your contacts. Otherwise, the products will not be adequately clean, and the risk of infection will be higher.

It is also not advisable to top up the old liquid with fresh because the remaining solution will still have dirt and germs. You will only dilute the harmful residue. It might be tempting to use water to clean your lenses. Resist this impulse because water often contains compounds and elements which will degrade the lenses. Moreover, the contacts will not be completely clean, so a serious infection might occur due to this casual and careless action.

3. Remove Your Lenses

Finally, you should remove the contact lenses as recommended instead of wearing them endlessly. Under normal circumstances, you should not sleep with these products in your eyes because corneal abrasion might occur. This action is crucial even if your lenses are designed for extended wear. Additionally, avoid showering, bathing or swimming with the contacts on. As mentioned, water can cause damage to the lenses and your eyes. 

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