Hygiene habits to follow for Contact Lens wearers - Dr. Sriram Ramalingam| Doctors' Circle

Dr. Sriram Ramalingam | Appointment booking number: 080 2343 1020
Consultant Ophthalmologist | Pradnya Nethralaya Sultanpalya, Bengaluru
Contact Lenses have a bad name saying that Contact Lenses lead to infection in the eye. It is not because of the Contact Lenses. It is because of the misuse of the Contact Lenses that Contact Lenses have got a bad name. If one follows the instructions given by the manufacturer and the dispensing doctor then Contact Lens should be very safe. Most important while wearing the lenses or while removing the Contact Lens, always wash your hands with soap and water. Clean your Contact Lens with the prescribed solution. Most important is we do not clean the lens case. The lens case needs to be cleaned atleast once a week with soap and water and nicely dried. The lens has to be applied in the proper format as prescribed. The lens should not be overworn. That is the lens is to be worn for 8 hours. One should not wear the lens for 10 hour or 12 hours. One should dispose off the Contact Lenses if it is a daily disposable every day, if it is a weekly disposable, every week, if it is a monthly disposable, every month and if it is a yearly disposable, every year. Do not over use the lens. This can lead to accumulation of bacteria and can lead to infections in the eye. If the Contact Lens starts irritation and the eye gets red, do not wear the lenses, do not say that I will remove the lens at home and immediately remove the lens and do not wear lenses if you have any eye problem in the form of redness, irritation. If you wear the lens, there is a chance of getting infection in the eye. So if you follow these small tips, Contact Lenses are usually safe. One should remember that long years of wearing Contact Lenses, may be you are wearing the lenses for 10 to 14 years and you are over wearing the lens for say around 10 to 12 hours per day, one can develop allergy to lens material. So one becomes intolerant to Contact Lenses. Even wearing lenses for a few hours can cause redness, irritation, itching. So if one follows the instruction, do not over wear the lenses, do not wear lenses when you have redness, irritation, watering or remove the lenses when you have any of this problem. Maintain proper hygiene, and Contact Lenses are usually safe and can be used for a long time. Bad name for Contact Lenses not because of Contact Lenses, it is because of not using the lenses properly and not following the instructions properly.