 CONTACT LENS CARE
As we all know Contact lenses provide spectacle wearers with an alternative in eyewear. They are particularly popular with those who have an active lifestyle or who wish to have an alternative "look" for that special occasion. These days even complex prescriptions can be corrected. They also give you the freedom of expressing your eyes without the restriction of wearing spectacles, and no one will notice you wearing them. Contact lenses are comfortable to wear and because they follow your eye movements, you will have clear vision wherever you look, unlike spectacle lenses, which can cause distortion when not looking straight ahead. This makes them ideal if you are a dedicated sports player or gym enthusiast!
Lens Care and Cleaning
Helps clear vision
In order to ensure optimum eye health and to maintain a "fresh lens" vision, you must follow the care and cleaning regimen recommended by your eye care practitioner.
Lack of care and cleaning or improper cleaning of your contact lens will lead to the build-up of protein deposits, other dirt, debris, germs and micro-organisms on your lenses and apart from eye irritation and infection may cause red eye, discomfort, cloudy vision and in severe cases, impaired vision.
How to insert and remove your pair of contact lens easily?
What may at first seem difficult can become easy with a little practice. The following procedures will help you to insert and remove your pair of contact lens easily.
To put your lens on
1. Rinse your lens in a multi-purpose or saline solution.
2. Keep your head up and look straight ahead.
3. Place the lens on the tip of your index finger. Pull down your lower eyelid with your middle finger.
4. Look up steadily at a point above you.
5. Place the lens on the lower white of your eye.
6. Remove your index finger and release the lower lid.
7. Look down. Close your eyes for a moment, and the lens will centre itself.
To take your lens out
1. Put one or two drops of a lubricating or wetting drop in each eye. This will moisten the lenses and make them easier to remove.
2. Look up and pull down lower eyelid your middle finger.
3. Place your finger on the lower edge of your lens.
4. Slide the lens down to the white of your eye.
5. Squeeze the lens lightly between your index finger and thumb and remove gently.
6. If the edges of your lens stick together, place a few drops of saline or multi-purpose solution on the lens and rub gently until the edges separate.
Tips for Wear and Care
In order to ensure a crisp, clear vision, better eye health and maximum comfort, consider these do’s and don’ts as important tips for successful lens wear and care.
Do's
* Wash and rinse your hands before you handle your lens. Clean, rinse, and disinfect your lens each time you remove them.
* Handle your lens with your fingertips, avoiding any contact with your fingernails.
* Apply hair spray before inserting your lens.
* Apply make-up after inserting your lens.
* Store lens in a leak-proof lens case when they are not being worn, and disinfect before use.
* Clean and disinfect one lens at a time to avoid mixing up the left and right lens.
* Use a lens case that clearly indicates left and right.
* Replace your lens and your lens case on a regular basis - visit your eye practitioner to discuss the most suitable lens replacement schedule for you.
* Store all contact lens solutions at room temperature (59-86ºF).
* Keep the caps of your solutions closed when not in use.
* Use solution before expiration date marked on bottle.
* Schedule yearly appointments with your eye care practitioner.
* Contact your eye care practitioner if you have questions or concerns.
Don'ts
* Do not re-use any lens care solutions.
* Do not use saline to disinfect your lens.
* Do not use eye drops or solutions not intended for use with contact lenses.
* Do not mix any eye medication with lens care solutions except under medical supervision.
* Do not wear your soft contact lens when working in the presence of harmful or irritating vapours or fumes.
* Do not use eye make-up in the inner margin of the eyelids as small particles could be transferred onto the surface of your lens.
* Do not allow soaps, cosmetics or other substances to come into contact with your lenses.
* Do not touch the tip of the bottle to any surface as this may cause contamination.
What to do if you experience lens discomfort?
You may experience the following symptoms due to discomfort:
* Eye redness
* Stinging, burning or itchy eyes
* Excessive tears
* Unusual eye secretions
* Vision changes
Such symptoms could be due to many reasons. Here are some tips which may help you find the reason:
1. First, remove and examine your contact lenses immediately.
2. If your lens appears damaged, torn or ripped, do not put the lens back on your eye. Put on a new lens or contact your eye care practitioner to order a new lens.
3. If your lens is not damaged, clean your lens with a recommended multi-purpose solution and try inserting it back into the eye.
4. If the irritation persists and is related to a foreign particle in your eye and the particle can be seen, gently wash the eye to remove the particle.
5. If the irritation persists and there is no foreign particle in the eye, contact your eye care practitioner immediately.
6. If the foreign particle remains in the eye after washing, contact your eye care practitioner immediately.
The importance of removing protein deposits
Deposits on soft contact lenses are unavoidable. They accumulate naturally since they're found in your natural tears. To keep your eyes healthy and your lenses feeling fresh and comfortable, protein deposits must be removed at least once a week. If left untreated, protein deposits can cause irritation, and in some cases, it can lead to more serious eye infections and vision problems.
What are protein deposits?
Protein deposits are a common form of soft contact lens deposits. They result from the interaction of your contact lens with proteins found in your natural tears. Two different types of proteins form on your soft contact lens:
Native Protein
A transparent, natural protein that is always present in your tears. It has no significant impact on your vision, your health or your lens comfort, and is easily removed.
Denatured Protein
This opaque deposit binds strongly to the lens surface and leads to decreased lens comfort and cloudy vision.
Removing protein from soft contact lenses
Until the introduction of multi-purpose solutions, protein deposits needed to be removed, at least weekly, using separate enzymatic cleaners.
This was time-consuming and inconvenient. It required tablets, and vials, and sometimes even a separate solution to dissolve the enzyme tablets.
The more convenient multi-purpose solutions available in the market usually contain a daily protein remover, which effectively removes both native and denatured protein during the daily cleaning step. You only need one bottle to clean, rinse, disinfect and remove protein every day, without the need for a separate enzyme cleaner.
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