Six Steps to Seeing Clearly (with Contacts)

(BPT) - As we head into pumpkin-spice-flavored-everything season, schedules go into overdrive (hello holiday shuffle!). In the blink of an eye, that healthy routine you’ve promised to start goes out the window. This is particularly true if you are among the approximately 45 million Americans that wear contact lenses.¹ While contacts can help you see, look and feel your best, using them with appropriate care is essential to your eye health. It is estimated that 99 percent of people who wear contacts have been guilty of common safety no-nos when it comes to caring for their lenses.¹

Here are some simple steps to keep your eye on when caring for your contact lenses.

1. Make a Date:

Regular appointments with your eye care professional and good habits will help keep your eyes feeling pristine all year. Put it in your calendar — even if it’s already full of fall festivities. Regular visits can help your eye care professional detect changes in the eyes that may need medical expertise — whether it is your prescription or a more serious issue.

2. Make a Clean Start:

Cleanliness is key to contact lens care! Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water before touching your contact lenses and dry them well with a lint-free towel.² Aside from having eye health benefits, washing your hands can prevent common illnesses that usually increase as the weather turns colder.³

I think we can all agree that after a long day, it can be tempting to just jump directly into your nice, cozy bed. But no matter how tired you are, you should not sleep in your contact lenses unless prescribed by your eye doctor. Sleeping in contact lenses that are not approved for such use can cause your corneas to become oxygen-starved, which can increase the risk for developing corneal swelling and eye infections.⁴ Bottom line: take the time at bed time.

While hot tubs, hot showers and a quick dip in the pool can feel invigorating, remember to remove your contact lenses before coming into contact with water. Water can cause soft contact lenses to change shape, swell and stick to the eye. This can lead to complications, putting your eyes at risk for infection.⁵

Your eye makeup game may be on trend for fall, but it’s not a good look when particles from your favorite eye shadow and mascara make their way into your eye. Here’s a tip: insert contact lenses before applying makeup and remove your lenses before washing off makeup.

As life gets hectic, it’s easy to let healthy habits fall by the wayside. “If you wear contact lenses, simple strategies to ensure proper care of your lenses can help make a big difference in your overall eye health,” says Carla Mack, OD, MBA, Alcon. “One way to make an eye care routine even simpler is to consider wearing daily disposable lenses, such as DAILIES TOTAL1^® contact lenses, which require no cleaning and create a cushion of moisture on your eye making them so comfortable, you may forget you’re wearing them.”

To learn more about daily disposable lenses, visit DailiesTotal1.com.

Ask your eye care professional for complete wear, care and safety information. Rx Only.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fast Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/fast-facts.html. Accessed October 2018.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Show Me the Science. https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/show-me-the-science.html#habits. Accessed October 2018.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Common Colds: Protect Yourself and Others. https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html. Accessed October 2018.
4. Cleveland Clinic. Avoid These Eye Infections From Bad Contact Lens Habits. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/avoid-eye-infections-bad-contact-lens-habits/. Accessed October 2018.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Water & Contact Lenses. https://www.cdc.gov/contactlenses/water-and-contact-lenses.html. Accessed October 2018.
6. All About Vision. Tips for Contact Lens Wearers. https://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/contact-lens-tips.htm. Accessed October 2018.

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