The human eye is very sensitive to bacteria and debris, which makes contact lens use a liability for many people. It is easy to not take the necessary precautions with contact lenses, because we assume that nothing bad will happen if we cut corners just a little bit in regards to lens hygiene. Of course, this is not the case, our eyes are not as invincible as we like to think they are, and because of this misunderstanding many people end up having to deal with eye infections every year. To help you protect your eyes here are 5 Common Contact Lens Blunders That Should Be Avoid:
- Going Into Water With Your Contact Lenses On: Any body of water can have some bacteria and amoebae in it that can be potentially damaging to your eyes. It doesn’t matter if it is the bathtub or the public swimming pool—don’t wear your contacts when going into water!
- Getting Makeup On Your Contacts: Don’t under any circumstance allow for makeup to remain on your contact lens. If you accidentally get some eye liner on your contact, then you need to take the lens out and give it a proper cleaning or you risk irritating your eyes.
- Putting You Contact Lenses In Your Mouth: Believe it or not, licking your contact lenses does not “clean them off,” it actually does the opposite. Our mouths are a haven for bacteria that have no business being near your eye!
- Rubbing Your Eyes: If you find yourself rubbing your eyes a lot (with or without contacts), you are putting your eyes at risk of infection. Bacteria that is on your hands could transfer to your eyes and you could develop a condition called keratoconus—this occurs when your cornea goes from being a rounded shape to a cone-like shape. This leads to blurred vision and potentially the need for a corneal transplant to repair the damage.
- Reuse Contact Lens Solution: Contact lens cleaning solution is a pretty effective disinfectant—that is until you leave it sitting around in the open for bacteria to flood in. Believe it or not, bacteria can overpower the disinfectant in the cleaning solution. Reusing the same contact lens solution over and over puts your eye at risk of bacteria that can cause eye infections, which could lead to much more serious eye complications that might require surgery.
