Contact Lenses: Tips for Proper Use of Your Contacts

Your contact lenses should always feel as though they aren't even there. People love contacts because no one can really tell you're wearing them, and vision is easily corrected without having to wear something on the face. Glasses are often unattractive, feel bulky, and don't like to stay in place. One of the main reasons to wear contacts is vanity, and the other is comfort.

But when your contacts aren't comfortable, you're in for a world of pain. Contact wearers (and glasses wearers who've tried contacts and given up) know that contacts dry out, feel scratchy, slip out of place, blur, and sometimes cause you all kinds of discomfort. For many, this is enough reason to chuck the contacts and go back to plain old glasses – all vanity aside. If you can't be comfortable, what's the point?

If you aren't using your contacts properly, they're going to cause you a great deal of pain. First, it's important to know what your contacts can and cannot do. Ask your eye doctor when you get your contacts for the first time how to properly use them. There are so many different varieties of contact lenses out there, it's hard to keep track. Some contacts you can wear to sleep, some you cannot. Some can be worn in the shower and some cannot. Ask your eye doctor how to properly wear and dispose of your contact lenses. Most disposable contact lenses have a life span for being a part of your eyes – three months, a week, six months, there is always some length of time attached to the life of your contacts. Make sure to change your contacts as often as you are supposed to – fresh contact lenses feel much better in your eyes than old contacts. In many cases, simply getting out a fresh pair of contact lenses will relieve the discomfort you're feeling.

It's also important to keep your contacts moist. If they are irritating you, feel dry, or causing your vision to blur, take them out and wash them in solution, then put them back in. The moisture should alleviate the pains you're feeling. You should never, ever touch your contacts or any portion of your eyes without thoroughly washing your hands first.

Dust, hair, and random particles may attach themselves to your contacts. If you're feeling pain and can't explain why, take your lens out and examine it in the light. Nine times out of ten, a small hair is attached to your contacts. Solution doesn't always remove everything. To clean your contacts, pour a small amount of solution in the palm of one hand. With the other, remove your contact and place the lens in the solution. With the tip of your finger, gently roll the contact around in the solution. Squirt fresh solution over the lens before putting it back in your eye. A clean contact will feel much better.

When your contact is completely clean and moist and still irritating your eye, it may not be correctly placed. Before you put your contact into your eye, put it in the palm of your hand or on your fingertip and examine it. The lens should form a perfect bowl without any ridges around the rim. If the contact appears shallow with a sharp, almost pointed edge, it's backwards. You cannot place your contact into your eye on either side and expect to feel comfort and have your vision corrected. There is only one side that can be placed against your eyes. You'll know it's facing the right direction when the lens forms a perfect little bowl, with no rim, that isn't shallow at all.

Keep an extra bottle of solution and a contact case with you whenever possible. Your contacts will be sure to dry out, irritate your eye, and cause blurring right when you are totally unprepared. Try to stay prepared with solution and a spare case. However, if you do catch yourself out in public and far away from any contact solution, in a pinch you can mix a little bit of salt with some water and make your own contact lenses solution. It isn't as good as the real thing, but it will work find when you have no other options.

Keep your contacts moist, free of debris, and facing the right way before you put them in your eyes. Wear contact lenses only as directed by your eye doctor. Your contacts can not only look great, but can be comfortable, too.

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