Horror stories of people getting lenses stuck in their eyes and nasty infections, certainly make for an eye-catching headline, (see what we did there wink wink) yet the majority of contact lens wearers never have any issues whilst wearing contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses safely is a matter of getting properly fitted and regularly checked by your optician and following good hand hygiene.
Is it harmful to wear contact lenses?
It is not harmful to wear contact lenses. Incorrect fitting, poor hand hygiene and not following proper instructions are what can cause problems whilst wearing contact lenses, not directly the contact lenses themselves.
Not cleaning your hands thoroughly before handling your contact lenses can be harmful for your eyes as you may transfer bacteria onto the lens and into your eyes. Before inserting or removing your contact lenses, make sure to thoroughly wash and dry your hands with clean water and soap.
Not storing your lenses correctly can be harmful if you wear reusable contact lenses. Two-weekly, monthly and yearly contact lenses, must cleaned, disinfected and stored each night before being used again the next day. It is both cost effective and more convenient to use a multi-purpose solution to take care of your lenses. Alternatively, you may use separate hydrogen peroxide and saline solutions to clean your contact lenses.
To avoid any complications, make sure to get fitted by a qualified optician and attend regular check-ups as recommended by your optician.
Can contact lenses make you go blind?
Wearing contact lenses alone cannot make you go blind. In some very rare instances, wearing lenses and not following correct protocol, can cause sight loss.
One of the rarest conditions linked to contact lenses and sight loss is Acanthamoeba Keratitis. It is caused by contaminated water coming into contact with the eye. This can easily get caught between the lens and they eye and harbour an infection. It is difficult to treat and in some rare cases, can cause partial or complete blindness.
This is preventable by washing and drying your hands thoroughly before handling your lenses and not allowing contaminated water near your eyes. Do not swim or shower while wearing your contact lenses and you must not clean your contact lenses with anything other than sterile contact lens solution.
Which contact lenses are best?
Which contact lenses are best for you will rely on a variety of factors.
Your first call of action when looking for new contact lenses should be a visit to your optician. They will best advise you on which contact lenses suit you. If you are unhappy with the lenses you have been prescribed, you can ask your optician to try a different lens under their supervision. You may have to try more than one lens before knowing which contact lens is best for you.
The main factors that will determine which contact lenses is best for you are your prescription, preference for material (hydrogel or silicone hydrogel), wearing time (daily, monthly, two-weekly), price and potentially colour if you want to wear coloured lenses.
It is important to remember that once you have your prescription, you can purchase the very same lenses anywhere you like and it is cheaper to purchase contact lenses online. FeelGoodContacts.com offers the best prices for your contact lenses online.
Do contact lenses make your eyes worse?
It is a common myth that sight aids such as contact lenses and prescription glasses make your eyes worse. Contact lenses do not make your eyes worse. If your eyes have not been fitted for the correct lens, it is likely that they are straining to see correctly. This will eventually begin to cause eyestrain and potential headaches for as long as you do not get fitted with the correct lens.
Can you wear both contact lenses and prescription glasses?
You can alternate between contact lenses and prescription glasses. You certainly cannot wear both at exactly the same time as you will be distorting your vision!
Many people choose to wear prescription glasses during the week, and contact lenses over the weekend, or for more special occasions when they don’t want to wear glasses. Or some choose to wear contact lenses during the week and wear prescription glasses at the weekend. It is simply a matter of preference and cost.
It should be noted that both prescription glasses and contact lenses require two different prescriptions and therefore require two different tests. You cannot convert your glasses prescription to a contact lens prescription and vice versa.
