Thoroughly wash your hands
It may seem elementary, but many people do not wash their hands properly either before inserting or removing their contact lenses. A simple rinse under water is not enough as it is unlikely to remove all of the dirt and salt. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap or other hand cleanser before handling your lenses. Using unwashed hands to insert your lenses is likely to cause irritation in your eyes and risk possible infection.
Check for damage upon removal
This is especially important for those wearing daily disposable contact lenses. Before discarding your lenses at the end of the day, check that they are whole and in one piece. Occasionally a lens can tear when removing it from the eye, with the possibility of that part of the lens could remain in the eye. Allowing the piece to remain in the eye can cause irritation and possible infection.
Rinse the lens immediately before insertion
Often (especially when new to contact lenses), the wearer will handle the lens extensively before insertion to determine whether or not the lens is inside out. This involves inverting the lens to check the shape and resistance when pinched together in each state. Whichever is the correct way at the end of this, the surface of the lens that rests on the eye will at some point have touched the hands, possibly allowing residual salt and/or bacteria to become present on the lens. Once you have determined which orientation is the correct one, rinse the lens in your cleaning solution (if you use daily disposables you can rinse them in the remaining fluid in the bubble packaging) before placing it in the eye. You should experience less of the irritation that occurs immediately after placement.
Buy your contact lenses online
You can save up to 70% by buying your contacts lenses via the internet rather than locking yourself into one of the subscriptions offered by the high street opticians.
Disclaimer: The author is not a medical doctor, optician, ophthalmologist or any other medical professional, this article has been compiled using a variety of internet reference sources and while every effort has been made to ensure accuracy this cannot be guaranteed. No preference for product or brand is inferred or intended and the contents of this article are not to be used in whole or in part to inform a decision regarding any aspect of contact lens use.
