Which Mistakes With Your Contacts Can Be Damaging To Your Eyes?

Posted on: 23 January 2017

For many people, contact lenses are a great alternative to wearing eyeglasses. Unfortunately, the value in wearing them can be greatly diminished when you make mistakes. Some mistakes could even have a long-term impact on your vision. If you are planning to switch to contacts, here are some mistakes to avoid.  

Cleaning Your Case or Lenses With Water

Water seems like a safe alternative to contact lenses solution, but it actually can lead to significant eye problems. Even though the water is filtered, there are still bacteria in it that can be harmful to your eyes. To protect your eyes, you always need to use a cleansing solution that is specifically designed for lenses.  

You also should avoid cleaning your case with water. The water is not enough to properly disinfect your case and harmful bacteria could linger even after it is cleaned. When you put on your contacts, you could be transferring those bacteria to your eyes.  

In both instances, the bacteria could lead to the development of Acanthamoeba keratitis. In addition to causing irritation and redness, the disease could even cause you to lose vision in one or both eyes.  

Leaving the Case Wet

After you have taken the contact lenses out of the case and put them on, it is important that you take the time to pour out the cleansing solution inside, clean the inside of the case, and leave the lids off so they can dry. There are a couple of good reasons for taking these steps.  

One reason is that if you forget to remove the used solution, when you place the lenses back in them at the end of the day, you are soaking them in dirty solution. The dirty solution cannot clean your lenses the way they need to be cleaned.  

You also have to be careful to take these steps because when the case is allowed to remain wet, bacteria has a safe haven in which to multiply. Even if you use fresh cleansing solution, it might not be enough to clean the lenses. You could still contract Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, which could also lead to trouble seeing.  

One of the best resources available to you regarding the safe care of your contact lenses is your optician. He or she can help walk you through how to care for the lenses and answer any questions or concerns. The optician can also pinpoint the source of any problems that you are having with the contact lenses. 

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