3 Ways You Might Be Harming Your Eyes If You Wear Contacts
Contact lenses can be a convenient way to ensure that your bad vision is corrected, without having to wear eyeglasses. After you put them in, you might not think about them very much. However, as someone who wears contact lenses regularly, there may be some things you're doing that can harm your eyes. Here are four ways you might be putting your eyes at risk for infection.
Not Washing Your Hands Before Inserting Contacts
You might think that because you store your contacts in cleaning solution, your contacts are completely clean. However, if you're not washing your hands before you put in your lenses, you may be asking for trouble.
Germs and bacteria live on your hands, and when you take unclean hands and put them on an object that is going to go into your eye, you can cause inflammation and infection. Make sure your wash your hands before you touch your contact lenses.
Cleaning Contacts with Water
If you run out of solution, you might think nothing of rinsing or soaking your contacts in water. However, water can be harmful to your contacts and your eyes. For one thing, water can cause your contacts to swell or lose their shape, That can lead to ill-fitting lenses that are less effective.
Not only that, but your tap water may contain a number of microorganisms that can feed on any bacteria on the surface of your eye. If you rinse your lenses with water and put the lenses on your eyes, you are running the risk of a pretty serious infection, since you may be trapping microorganisms and bacteria in between your contacts and the outer layer of your eye (the cornea). To avoid this, remember to only use the proper solution to clean your contacts.
Wearing Contacts Too Long
Even though many contact lenses can now be worn for extended periods of time, it is wise to remember that your cornea needs oxygen. Contact lenses do allow oxygen to reach your cornea, but it's not nearly as much oxygen as your eyes get when you aren't wearing your contact lenses. If you don't rest your eyes, they may become extremely dry and irritable, making them more susceptible to an infection. Take your contacts out of your eyes whenever you are able, so that they can get the oxygen they need.
Now that you know what you're doing that can hurt your eyes while wearing contact lenses, use the information laid out here and take action to prevent eye infection. See an optometrist, such as Dr Ron Sealock, regularly, to ensure that your eyes are as healthy as they can be.