How to Take Care of Your Contacts

A few months ago I was browsing Facebook and came across this story that was trending. It was the one about the young girl in Asia who wore her contacts too long and went blind. Remember that one? It caught my attention because it was so sensational. The sad part is that it’s completely preventable with proper hygiene. Especially if you change your lenses more frequently and just using a little common sense. After reading this article, I felt compelled to share with you some important tips on taking care of your contact lenses and eyes. And don’t worry, there’s only three so it will be very easy to remember!

1. Remove
2. Clean
3. Replace

REMOVE
Do NOT sleep in your contact lenses.  Your lenses need to be disinfected every night and the only way is to remove them from your eyes.  It's also important for your eyes to breath.  The most current types of contact lenses are more breathable than ever before, but you need to let your eyes rest.  Yes, there are brands that are FDA approved for 30 day continuous wear, however I still recommend removing your contacts to allow them to be cleaned.

CLEAN
Everyone knows that they need to clean their lenses every night, but nobody likes to do it.  It's another step to add to your bedtime routine.  But I cannot stress enough the importance of cleaning your contacts EVERY DAY!  Spend the extra minute cleaning your lenses.  This will prevent an eye infection which will cause pain, redness, swelling and force you to wear those glasses you haven't updated in 5 years.

REPLACE
There are so many different types of contact lenses and each one is made of different materials which have been scientifically tested for how long you should wear them.  Most soft contact lenses are recommended to be replaced after 1 month, 2 weeks or daily.  Daily disposable lenses are the healthiest option because you wear a fresh pair every day, no cleaning, no soaking, no risk of contamination.  But since they typically cost more, the majority of patients stick with the two week or monthly replacements.  With whatever type you wear, you need to replace your contact lenses as recommended by your doctor.  

When I ask the question "how often do you replace your contacts?" A common response is "when they start bothering me."  There is a reason why we call soft contact lenses DISPOSABLE.  You need to replace them often and not stretch the life of the lens.  Once you wear the lens longer than you should, you have a greater risk of infection, blurry vision and discomfort.

So please follow these 3 very important steps for the best care of your contacts.  

REMOVE, CLEAN and REPLACE.  

Your eyes will thank you for it!

~ Dr. Hoshi


*Disclaimer: I do not receive monetary compensation for any product reviews.