For everyone in Gilbert, eye care is important. And if you wear contact lenses, you have an extra step to take in order to preserve the health of your eyes: you need to take proper care of your contacts.

Gilbert Eye CareWhy are proper contact lens handling and cleaning techniques part of good Gilbert eye care?

Proper handling and cleaning of your lenses is an important part of keeping your risk of contracting an eye infection from them to an absolute minimum. A good cleaning regimen will also help to remove any buildup of lipids or proteins; if you allow these to build up, they can decrease the vision quality and comfort levels you experience during wear.

6 important rules for taking care of your contacts

The exact protocol for lens care will vary depending on the type you’re wearing – ask your eye doctor for specific instructions for your unique situation. Use the following as a base to build your lens care knowledge, which will help you to have a more informed discussion about it with your eye doctor.

  1. Before touching your lenses, wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them thoroughly with a clean cloth. This will prevent you from transferring dangerous bacteria, viruses, or fungi that your hands may have had contact with to your contacts.
  1. Remember that saline solution and rewetting drops do not kill germs, so they can’t be used to disinfect your lenses. Only use an approved disinfectant for that purpose.
  1. Avoid allowing your lenses to come into contact with water. Don’t use water to rinse or store them. Don’t go swimming while wearing them either.
  1. Never use saliva to lubricate or wet your lenses; your mouth is full of bacteria that could cause a nasty eye infection.
  1. Keep your contact lens case clean. You can rinse it with clean lens solution, empty it, then let it air dry. Most experts recommend that you don’t go longer than three months without replacing your lens case with a new one. This lowers the odds of your case becoming contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, or fungi that could transfer to your lenses and cause an eye infection.
  1. Keep your contact lens cleaning solution containers clean. This includes taking great care not to touch the bottle opening or inside of the lid, since doing so could transfer undesirable contaminants to the solution inside, which then will end up on your contacts and potentially in your eyes.

A good contact lens care regimen is easy to incorporate into your Gilbert eye care routine

Ask your eye doctor for specific tips and techniques for caring for your contacts, and make those part of your daily routine. With regular use, they’ll quickly become habits that feel effortless.