What lenses are available, what are their possible effects and what are the important points to improve your vision? Glasses and contact lenses go hand in hand. For many people, contact lenses mean greater visual freedom, allowing for an active and dynamic lifestyle, for example for sports or vacations.
They can also disguise the need for correction, giving you a more natural appearance, free of the screen of glasses. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this blog and learn some of our tips for wearing contact lenses to ensure your eyes stay healthy and rested.
1. Which lenses for which eyes?
First of all, you need to know if your prescription can be filled with contact lenses. Contact lenses can correct both myopia and hyperopia, as well as other visual disorders such as astigmatism and presbyopia. However, it is not possible to integrate a compensating prism to correct an ocular deviation. This deviation is called “associated heterophoria” and can only be corrected with glasses.
Contact lenses can be divided into soft and rigid lenses. Soft contact lenses are categorized according to how long they can be used before they need to be replaced. This is called “modality”. Different modalities are currently prescribed: daily lenses, which are worn for one day; bi-monthly; monthly; bi-annual lenses; continuous wear lenses can be worn for up to 30 days at a time.
Rigid contact lenses are primarily of two types. Standard rigid contact lenses are individually fitted to the wearer’s eye and, depending on their material, can be used for one to two years. They are worn during the day and removed at night. Orthokeratology lenses are worn during sleep and removed in the morning. During the night, these contact lenses modify the shape of the cornea, dispensing with any visual correction the following day.
As with eyeglasses, the professional service of a specialist is absolutely essential for the adaptation of contact lenses. Your optician can advise you in detail and determine with you which contact lenses will best suit your needs. These professionals will explain how to insert and remove your lenses and recommend the best cleaning methods. If you wear contact lenses, make an appointment for regular check-ups with your eye care professional.
2. Cleanliness: the top priority for contact lens wearers!
Not cleaning your glasses will impair the quality of your vision. It can be annoying, but it’s harmless. It’s a different story with lenses. In this case, care and cleaning are the top priorities, as contact lenses are placed directly on the eye. Although it goes without saying, it is important to wash your hands before putting in or removing your contact lenses.
Tap water is not sterile. That’s why you should always rinse your contact lenses with saline solution and clean them and their cases with a suitable cleaning solution. The lens case should be replaced with a new one every month. The neck of your cleaning solution container should be kept free of germs at all times. It should not come into contact with your fingers or contact lenses. Do not use contact lens cleaners after their expiration date. Once you have removed your contact lenses, before placing them in the lens case, wash and disinfect them by hand first.
Always store contact lenses hygienically in the storage solution in a suitable case. Change the solution after use to ensure that it remains germ-free. You can use multi-purpose solutions to clean and store your lenses. It is important to use cleaning agents that are well suited to your contact lenses to avoid a potentially harmful chemical reaction.
3. How long should I wear contact lenses? What’s right for your eyes?
Lenses are not worn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Give your eyes some fresh air. As a general rule, experts warn against wearing contact lenses for more than eight hours. However, there is no hard and fast rule, as the length of time you should wear your lenses depends on the individual wearer and the type and quality of the contact lenses. Be sure to observe the specified wearing time, cleaning instructions and expiration date to ensure that your lenses will not irritate your eyes.
Also, before buying contact lenses, it is best to check their oxygen permeability, which is, among other factors, a determinant of how long you can wear them. This is indicated by the Dk-value (relative dielectric constant) and is influenced by the material of the contact lens as well as, to a certain extent, its temperature. Please ask your optician for advice.
Continuous wear contact lenses have been designed for people who are allergic to contact lens solutions. Be sure to discuss with your optician whether they would be suitable for you – after all, you would be wearing them for thirty days and thirty nights without interruption. They don’t even need to be taken out intermittently to be cleaned and disinfected.
As soon as your eyes show the slightest sign of inflammation or irritation or you feel pain, remove your contact lenses and use your glasses. Do the same if you have a fever or severe cold. After an illness, it’s important to ask your doctor if you can continue to wear the same contact lenses or if you should throw them away as a precaution. This is especially true for monthly or twice-yearly lenses.
Looking for help?
With over 3 decades of experience, Valley vision is here to help you with all your vision-related needs. They are an Aussie company through and through and have at heart the need of their customers. Run by two professional and experienced optometrists, Valley Vision is one of the leading names in the eye-care field in Australia. So, what are you waiting for? Let them better your vision with their wide ray of visual aids, glasses, and contacts. Book your consultation now by visiting their website.
