When it comes to wearing contacts, it is of utmost importance to know the importance of proper eye hygiene. Research conducted by Bausch & Lomb in August determined that many individuals are using dangerous substances instead of contact lens solution to keep their lenses moist. Products including baby oil, beer, coke, Vaseline, fruit juices, butter and others were all mentioned as occasional substitutes, by twenty percent of the two thousand adults polled in the UK.
Even more of the respondants indicated that they use saliva when putting lenses in their eyes. Since we know that the mouth of the average adult is known to contain hundreds of different types of bacteria, this can pose a serious health risk to your eyes. Further, many people think that water from a tap or bottle is a safe alternative for contact lens solution, but even those may contain microorganisms that can damage the eye and have been associated with Acanthamoeba keratitis, an infection that threatens your eyesight. In fact, if water enters your eyes from a pool, ocean or even a bath while wearing your contacts, it's recommended to take out your contacts as soon as possible and disinfect them to rinse off any parasites that may have stuck to them.
The only thing that you should use to rinse, disinfect, lubricate or store your contacts is proper lens solution. Never keep your lenses in water! Storing lenses in water isn't effective in disinfecting them and harmful bacteria can multiply on your contacts within minutes and eventually enter your eyes. In addition, contact solution is made to compliment the acidity of the tear film in your eyes and water on the other hand can cause a reaction which makes your contacts change shape or stick causing discomfort and blurred vision.
If proper care is not possible for you, definitely use daily disposable contacts instead of lenses that you reuse. Speak to your eye doctor about taking age, lifestyle and level of responsibility into consideration when deciding which contact lens options are best for the members of your family.
Only individuals that can understand the proper way to care for contact lenses and how important this is should use contacts, particularly long-term wear contacts. Failure to do so can lead to serious eye damage, vision loss and even blindness!
