Contact Lenses: Safety Tips

If you are a wearer of contact lenses, it is very important that you make sure that you understand what you need to do to wear contacts safely.  If you fail to follow the safety rules associated with contact lenses, you can end up doing serious and irreversible harm to your eyes.  Indeed, in the worst case scenario, you actually could cause such significant harm or damage to your eyes that you end up going blind.

Through this article, we provide you with some of the more important safety tips associated with the wearing of contact lenses.

Understand Your Eyes

The front covering of the eye is known as the cornea.  It is one of the only areas of the body that receives its oxygen requirement directly and has no blood vessels to take the oxygen into the eye.

Protecting Your Eyes

Using proper safety precautions when wearing contact lenses will help you from developing an unhealthy cornea and creating an abnormal growth of blood vessels because of irritation or lack of oxygen.

Important Eye Safety Factors

Some important factors to be aware of in order to maintain healthy eyes when you are a contact wearer are to make sure and wear only contact lenses that are prescribed by a professional eye care specialist.  Avoid the colored, decorative lenses that are used only for special effects.  A rule of thumb is, if the contacts have not been approved by your eye doctor, do not wear them.  There are many such contact lenses on the market and they are not safe for your use since the coloring in the contact has been shown to reduce the ability for oxygen to reach the cornea.

Avoid Sleeping in Contact Lenses

Contact wearers that wear their contact lenses overnight have a much higher frequency of getting eye infections.  If you are one those people who leave your contacts in while you sleep, you must be extra cautious if you begin developing any redness, swelling or long-term dryness, and remove the contacts until the condition has subsided. \

Clean Your Contacts As Directed

Also, make sure that you clean and store your contact lenses on a daily and use the proper products that were recommended by your eye care specialist.  Good eye hygiene is imperative to prevent the possibility of eye infections or excessive irritation.

Don't Wet Contacts with Your Saliva

Another point to remember is that contact lenses should never be wet with your own saliva because hazardous microorganisms can live in the saliva and can cause infections.  Make sure and have your contact carrying case with you and some solution so that you do not get into this bad habit.

In Case of an Emergency

Now in the case of an emergency when you have a toxic substance enter your eye, it is recommended that you immediately rinse the eye with water. Running tap water is the best.  Always remember to not remove the contact until you have thoroughly rinsed the contaminate out of the eye.  In many cases, you should consult your doctor or emergency medical care, if all symptoms do not subside.

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