Eye Care: What You Must Never Do To Contact Lens- Experts Advic

The average contact lens wearer can attest to the fact that they require maximum care and zero exposure to foreign elements.

However inspite of the warnings of opticians, there is still a significant number of people who fall victim to eye infections.

According to experts in Moorfield Eye Hospital, bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms can stick to contact lenses and cause pain, irritation and serious harm.

Eye infections are no walk in the park and can lead to loss of sight in some cases. To avoid this, here are thing you must NEVER do if you use contact lenses.



NEVER, ever sleep with contact lenses in: This is like the cardinal rule of contacts. Extended wear of contacts can aggravate the cornea, leaving it more vulnerable to infection. So except your optician says otherwise, once you feel drowsy, your contacts must come off.

NEVER bathe or swim with contacts: Water can carry and spread a rare but dangerous infection called acanthamoeba keratitis which attacks the cornea and which people who wear contacts are particularly susceptible to. Furthermore, water-borne bacteria and other bugs, such as acanthamoeba, can attach to contact lenses during swimming and cause infection, more so in public pools were traces of urine and faecal matter can be found.

NEVER handle contacts without disinfecting your hands first: Ensure that your hands are thoroughly washed and dried before handling your lenses to prevent spreading nasty germs.

NEVER soak them in a glass of water: If you forget your solution, tap water is not the next best option, as it can carry bacteria that is harmful to the eyes.

NEVER lick them: As tap water isn't an option for cleaning contacts, neither is saliva as it is most unhygenic.

Take care to NEVER touch your eyes or lens with your fingernails. A scratched cornea is not fun.

NEVER mix your right and left lenses up, rather get into the habit of inserting and removing the same lens first.

NEVER put your lenses in without checking to see that they're not damaged or inside-out. The lens should be shaped like a cup but if inside-out it will be shaped like a saucer, with the edges facing out.

NEVER re-use disinfecting solution or top it up. Instead, it must be discarded and replaced with fresh solution each time the lenses are stored

NEVER ignore problems or discomfort. Contrary to often erroneous belief, they won't just go away, remove the contact lens and seek medical advice.