Eye health: Caring for your contact lenses

Here are some tips on how to keep your contact lenses in good condition. Not only will these tips help you extend the life of your contact lenses, but they will also help protect the safety and health of your eyes.

1. Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling your contact lenses or before touching your eyes. Any residue from creams, soaps or chemicals may stick to the contact lens, causing pain, irritation or blurred vision when it is in your eye. Dry your hands with a clean towel.

2. Wear your contact lenses as prescribed. Your optician will recommend when and how often you should wear the type of contact lenses you have selected. Only wear them for the time recommended.

3. Clean and store your contact lenses as prescribed (in a clean case in fresh solution). Different types of contact lenses require special care and certain types of products. Always use the eye care products recommended by your optician. Some eye products or eye drops are not safe for contact lens wearers.

4. Clean your contact lens case after each use with either sterile solution or hot tap water and air dry it.

5. Never use plain water directly on your contact lenses and never put your contact lenses in your mouth to "rinse" them. Micro-organisms can live even in distilled water and can cause infection or damage to your sight.

6. Clean your contact lens by rubbing it gently with your index finger in the palm of your hand. The newest "no rub" solutions allow you to rinse your contact lenses without rubbing.

7. If you develop an eye infection (signs include redness, burning or excessive tearing), remove your contact lenses and stop using them until you have have received medical advice. Wearing contaminated contact lenses is just inviting the infection to remain. Once you start wearing your contact lenses again, closely follow your optician’s instructions to help prevent future eye infections.

8. Never wear another person's contact lenses, especially if they have been worn before. Using other people's contact lenses can spread any infection or particles from their eyes to yours.

9. Wearing contact lenses may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to sunlight. Wear sunglasses with total UV protection and/or a wide brim hat when in the sun.

10. To keep your eyes lubricated, use a rewetting solution or plain saline solution.

11. Don’t sleep with contact lenses in your eyes unless you are prescribed "extended wear" contacts. While the eyes are shut, tears cannot carry healthy amounts of oxygen to the eye as they do during the waking hours. As a result, your contact lenses will become dry and stick to your eyes. If you accidentally do fall asleep with your contact lenses in, make sure you put eye drops in your eyes and wait a few minutes before trying to remove them.