Your Guide to Safe Soft Lens Wear

Contact lenses can significantly improve your quality of life by providing convenience, freedom, and enhanced vision. However, knowing how to properly insert, remove, and care for your soft contact lenses is essential to ensure that your lenses perform at their best and you keep your eyes healthy.

Here's a step-by-step guide from Steinhauer Family Eye Clinic in Madison to help you correctly manage your soft contact lenses.

Step 1: Inserting Soft Contact Lenses

Before touching your lens case, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. You should also dry your hands with a lint-free towel. This reduces the risk of introducing dirt or bacteria into your eyes. Here is what you need to know about inserting contact lenses:

1. Check the Lens: Start by placing the lens on the tip of your index finger to check if it is clean, undamaged, and correctly oriented. The lens should form a perfect cup shape. If the edges flare out, it is likely inside out.
2. Lower Your Eyelid: With your free hand, hold your upper eyelid to prevent blinking.
3. Place the Lens: Use the middle finger of the hand holding the lens to pull down your lower eyelid. Look up and gently place the lens on the lower part of your eye.
4. Release and Blink: Slowly release your eyelids and blink a few times to center the lens. It should feel comfortable. If you experience discomfort, the lens is likely placed incorrectly or could be inside out.

Step 2: Removing Soft Contact Lenses

Removing your lenses should also be done with clean hands to avoid any risk of eye infection. This is how you can easily remove your contacts:

1. Initial Removal: Wash your hands and dry them thoroughly. After, look up and pull down your lower eyelid with the middle finger of your dominant hand.
2. Pinch the Lens: Bring your thumb and index finger together and gently pinch the lens to lift it off your eye. Be careful not to accidentally scratch your eye during this process.
3. Store or Dispose: If you use daily disposable lenses, throw them away. If not, prepare to clean and store the lens in its case.

Step 3: Cleaning and Caring for Your Lenses

Contact lens safety is essential to avoid infections or lens damage. When it comes to cleaning contact lenses and storage, always follow these steps:

1. Clean Your Lenses: After removing your lenses, apply a few drops of contact lens cleaning solution to one lens. Gently rub the lens with your index finger in the palm of your other hand. Rinse the lens with contact solution (not tap water) to remove loosened debris.
2. Rinse the Lens Case: Use a sterile contact lens solution to rinse out your lens case and leave it open to air dry.
3. Store Lenses Properly: Fill the lens case with fresh solution and place the clean lens in the proper side of the case. Repeat this process with the other lens.

Additional Contact Lens Hygiene Tips

Proper contact lens hygiene goes beyond just cleaning and storing your lenses correctly. Following specific practices is essential to ensure eye health and optimal lens performance. Here are some crucial tips:

• Avoid Sleeping in Your Contacts: Unless your eye care professional prescribes, you should never sleep in your contact lenses! Sleeping in contacts significantly increases the risk of eye infections because it reduces the amount of oxygen reaching your cornea, creating a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Extended Wear Contacts Do Not Require Daily Storage: If you use extended-wear contact lenses, designed to be worn for 7 to 30 days interrupted, including overnight, you may not need to store them daily. However, it's key to follow your eye doctor’s instructions on how long you can wear them before they need to be cleaned and stored.
• Protect Your Eyes from the Sun: Wearing contact lenses does not protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays. Wear UV-protective sunglasses over your contact lenses to shield your eyes from sun damage.
• Manage Dry Eye Syndrome: Contact lens wearers are often more susceptible to dry eye syndrome. Your eye care provider might recommend using compatible eye drops to lubricate your eyes.
• Prevent Acanthamoeba Infection: One of the most severe risks to contact lens wearers is an Acanthamoeba infection, which can lead to permanent vision loss. Using water or homemade saline solutions on contact lenses can cause this infection. Never rinse your lenses or lens case with tap water.

Book A Contact Lens Exam in Madison

By following these simple insertion, removal, and care steps, you can enjoy the benefits of wearing contact lenses while keeping your eyes healthy. For tailored contact lens advice, schedule a contact lens exam with Steinhauer Family Eye Clinic in Madison.