An ophthalmologist has named 5 mistakes when wearing contact lenses. Check yourself against the list

An ophthalmologist has named 5 mistakes when wearing contact lenses. Check yourself against the list

Give up these bad habits to save your eyesight and prolong the life of your optics.

Ophthalmologist of the Eye Microsurgery Center “I See”

“Soft contact lenses are a convenient alternative to glasses, as well as laser vision correction in the presence of contraindications. The lenses are invisible in the eyes, but are comfortable and versatile. They are made of silicone and hydrogel, they are not felt on the eyes. It would seem, wear and be happy. However, even this harmless product can become dangerous if you do not follow some rules, at first glance quite insignificant”.

Sleeping with lenses

Silicone and hydrogel, while biocompatible, still have limited breathability. Lack of oxygen leads to hypoxia, drying out and inflammation of the cornea, which results in blurred vision on the second or third day. Lenses also need “rest” in saline solution, so they will not lose their properties.

Ignoring the lens wearing regimen often leads to allergic redness and irritation of the eyes, development of dry eye syndrome, risk of conjunctivitis due to poor hygiene and even to such a serious corneal disease as keratitis.

Soak lenses in plain water instead of saline solution

Lenses need saline solution, not plain, even the purest water. And this is not a marketing ploy. In saline solution, the lens is cleaned of micro-particles of dirt and replenishes its saturation, while water, especially tap water, on the contrary, covers the lens with bacteria and microbes. And this is a direct path to irritation and bacterial infection of the eye.

Washing the lens container with water

With the need to soak the lenses only in saline solution we have sorted out, but what about the cleanliness of the container? Is it possible to wash it with water? Alas, no. The reasons are the same – ph composition of water is incompatible with the conditions under which the lenses are harmless and safe to wear on the eyes. Therefore, we rinse the container with the same lens solution and change it monthly.

Taking a shower or swimming with your lenses on

At a minimum, you risk losing the lens, because it can easily be washed out with water. But even if the product is held firmly on the surface of the eye, tap, river, sea water, getting between the lens and the cornea, creates a favorable environment for the multiplication of microorganisms. This can result in bacterial infection, dry, burning eyes or inflammation.

Wearing lenses for longer periods of time

Each type of lens has its own expiration date. So what happens to them when they reach the end of their useful life? Gas permeability of silicone becomes worse, the product begins to pass oxygen worse.

How the cornea reacts to hypoxia, we wrote above. This is blurred vision, irritation, drying of the cornea and development of dry eye syndrome.