Contact lenses are medical devices that come in direct contact with the eyes. But sometimes we don’t treat them with the respect they deserve.
The truth is that improper care of contact lenses could have a permanent effect on vision. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 40 and 90 percent of contact wearers do not take proper care of their lenses.
Haphazard contact lens care can lead to eye irritation, pink eye or ulcers. And in the worst-case scenario, eyesight loss. In fact, up to one out of 500 contact lens wearers will get a serious infection every year.
So just what can you do to ensure impeccable contact lens care? Following are five steps to make routine.
1. Make hand hygiene a habit.
It is essential to wash hands before putting in or taking out contacts. Failing to do so could lead to an infection, and it doesn’t stop there.
Of equal importance is taking the time to dry hands thoroughly. This is a step that many contact lens wearers are unaware of.
“The first rule I give any contact lens wearer is that you must always wash and dry your hands before handling contact lenses,” says Dr. Timothy Cundiff, a graduate of Indiana University School of Optometry who currently practices in Illinois. “Don’t forget to dry your hands thoroughly as well, because tap water contains bacteria. When we drink tap water, our body can tolerate it. But our contact lenses act like sponges and can retain the bacteria from the water. It then presents a risk of transferring that bacteria to your eye.”