5 Best Practices for Contact Lens Wearers in North Sydney

There are so many myths surrounding the safety of contact lenses. We have all heard one too many horror stories about contact lenses and it makes us wonder… should we really be putting these things in our eyes? To ensure that you are safely wearing contact lenses, your lenses should always be prescribed by a qualified optometrist who will teach you how to properly care for your lenses. Although contact lenses are a safe and effective way of correcting vision, if not cared for properly, there can be serious risk involved with contact lenses. If contact lenses are not worn, cleaned or stored correctly, it can increase the risk of serious eye infections. Even if you have been wearing contact lenses for several years, it is important to return to your optometrist for regular aftercare visits to ensure that the current contact lenses are still suitable for your eyes.

1. Proper Hand Hygiene Before Handling Contact Lenses

It may seem simple, but it is important to ensure that we wash our hands before handling contact lenses as unclean hands can introduce bacteria and other contaminants that could lead to eye infections. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and dry your hands with a lint-free towel/tissue before inserting the lenses into the eye.

2. Regular Cleaning and Disinfection of Contact Lenses

It is important to remember that water and contact lenses do not mix! You should never wash or store your contact lenses with water as this can increase the risk of eye infections. Although filtered water may be safe to drink, it still contacts bacteria and other microorganisms which may cause harm to the eye. If these bacteria are transferred to the contact lenses, it may lead to serious eye infections such as acanthamoeba keratitis.

If you are wearing fortnightly or monthly contact lenses, it is important that you disinfect and clean your lenses daily. When wearing contact lenses, there will be a buildup of protein and lipids on the lenses, if not cleaned properly it may cause discomfort and increase the risk of infection. After cleaning the contact lenses, ensure that you are storing the contact lenses in a multipurpose solution recommended by your optometrist. If you are not sure if you are caring for your contact lenses properly, you should see your local optometrist.

3. Replace Contact Lenses and Lens Cases as Recommended

To enjoy your contact lens experience, ensuring you are replacing your contact lenses is recommended(daily, bi-weekly, or monthly) to avoid eye irritation or infection. Our lenses can build up protein and lipid which can make the lenses uncomfortable and cause irritation to the eye. More importantly, it is important to regularly replace your lens cases, as bacteria can accumulate over time, increasing the risk of infection.

4. Never Sleep with Contact Lenses in Your Eyes (Unless Prescribed)

Most contact lenses are not designed to be worn while sleeping. Our eyes need to breathe and by wearing contact lenses while sleeping you are depriving the eyes of oxygen and increasing the risk of infection. However, there are some contact lenses such as ortho-K lenses which are prescribed to be worn overnight. If you are unsure if you should be wearing contact lenses while sleeping, you should consult with your optometrist for appropriate recommendations. If you are looking for a North Sydney optometrist, call (02)83502910 to book with Northbridge Optical.

5. Never buy contact lenses online

Be careful when ordering contact lenses online. If you are buying contact lenses online, check with your optometrist to ensure that it is a reputable contact lens. There are several websites that claim to sell well known brands when in fact they are selling counterfeits. Also be aware that your contact lenses prescription is not just as simple as your prescription. When ordering contact lenses, you must consider your contact lenses prescription (adjusted for vertex distance), base curve, diameter as well as material. If you do not have the appropriate information, you may order lenses which are not suitable for your eyes. Before ordering contact lenses online, seek advice from your local optometrist.

6. Schedule Regular Eye Exams with a North Sydney Optometrist

Our eyes are constantly changing and it is important to have regular eye exams to monitor eye health, ensure proper contact lens fitting, and receive up-to-date information on the new contact lenses technology. Book your next eye test with Northbridge Optical where our friendly North Sydney optometrist will take care of all your eye care needs.