Contact lenses are a great product for improving visual acuity, however they do have their limitations. The following are a few things to avoid when wearing contact lenses:

1. Do not Forget to wash Your Hands before putting on Contacts

If you don’t eliminate the bacteria on your hands before putting on contact lenses, it will remain on your contact lenses and cause problems later. The bacteria can move behind your eyelids at take up your eyes as its new home, causing eye disease, discomfort, and negatively affect your vision.

2. Do not put your Contact Lenses in Your Mouth.

It may sound ridiculous, but it happens! If you hold a lens between your teeth when your hands are busy, or fully place a lens in your mouth for some reason, the bacteria in your mouth will engulf the lens, making it very unsanitary.

3. Do not wear your lenses for too long or past their due dates

Wearing expired lenses or wearing certain types of lenses for too long can be very problematic for your eyes. Most lenses are designed to be used for a relatively brief duration of time. After that duration the material of the lens will break down and can damage your eyes from strain.

4. Do not sleep with your contacts on

Even though some contact lenses are allowed for night use, it is medically unwise to sleep with them on. They can dry your eyes out and cause discomfort. Always remember to take them off before bed, giving you an opportunity to clean them.

5. Do not wear your lenses during an eye irritation.

If you have an itchy eye or you can feel a tingle in your eye, take your contact lens off first before doing anything to your eyes. There is a reason behind that irritation you are feeling; it could be an infection or a tear in your contact lens. Whatever it is, your eye is reacting to the presence of the contact lens, and you should take it out immediately. If you rub your eye with a contact lens in, you can distort the shape of the lens stressing your vision and causing discomfort.

6. Do not wear your lenses without disinfecting them thoroughly.

For every time you take out your contact lenses, you must disinfect them properly before wearing. Your optometrist will remind you the importance of keeping your lenses clean before and after use.

7. Do not go into the water with your lenses on

Exposure to water can cause different problems depending on what type. In the shower, the force of the flowing water can distort your contact lenses. In a bathtub, a pool, or a natural body of water can transfer bacteria onto your lenses. Make sure to take your contacts out before you submerge yourself in water.

8. Do not rub your eyes

Rubbing your eyes too hard with contact lenses will cause a host of problems for you. If they’re reusable, you might have wasted a lens because rubbing can permanently distort contact lenses. Always practice caution of what you do to your eyes when wearing contact lenses.

9. Don’t leave makeup on your contact

You can accidentally get makeup on your contact lens. This can leave a noticeable mark which blocks your vision or causes discomfort. On top of this, chemicals that might be present in your makeup can dissolve or otherwise detriment the composition of your contacts, so be sure to remove your lenses before applying makeup.

10. Don’t wash your contacts with water

Depending on what kind of water you use, if it isn’t sterilized, you will most likely get bacteria on your contacts, then your eyes. Be sure to use a cleaning solution approved by your optometrist to clean your lenses.

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