They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. However, if your eyes become itchy and red because of poor contact lens care habits, people just might want to exit through the back door.
If you wear contact lenses to sleep, add fresh solution to old solution and do not regularly change contact lens cases, these are all signs of poor contact lens care habits.
Forty-one-million Americans wear contact lenses, of which only about 100,000 take proper lens care steps that important in regard to good eye care. The remaining 40.9 million contact lens wearers have engaged in at least one type of risky behavior that can lead to eye infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a survey online and found that poor habits and hygiene that can cause eye infection are practiced by over 99 percent of contact lens users. The researchers published their findings on the survey online on August 21.
"Good vision contributes to overall well-being and independence for people of all ages, so it's important not to cut corners on healthy contact lens wear and care," said CDC medical epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Cope. She noted that a large number of contact lens wearers seem to be unclear about the proper ways to wear and care for their contact lenses.
Contact lens cases, for example, should be replaced at least once every three months. However, four-fifths of contact lens wearers reported keeping and using cases longer. Experts also recommend that after every use and before placing contact lenses back in their cases, solution must also be replaced. However, the survey revealed that, instead of replacing the solution, more than half of contact lens users just add new solution to old.
Another big no-no when it comes to wearing contact lenses is sleeping in them. This bad habit is one that is most frequently practiced, with about half the contact lens wearers admitting to having slept in them.
While the majority of contact lens users engage in these poor habits and poor lens care hygiene, only about one-third of them report having sought medical assistance for problems like painful or red eyes, which are potentially preventable.
According to the CDC, one bad habit increases the risk of eye infection by at least five times. The agency emphasizes that it only takes a couple of simple steps to prevent eye infections from occurring.
Developing good habits and hygiene regarding contact lens use is essentially. Not sleeping in your contact lenses, regularly changing contact lens cases, emptying out old solution and replacing it with new before storing lenses after each use and washing your hands before touching your lenses are steps that are easy to remember. It's also always good to clean a lens case by rubbing and rinsing it with solution, drying it with tissue and storing it upside down. Additionally, contact lenses should not be used while showering or swimming. Always have your eyeglasses as a backup for times when you suddenly need to take out your contact lenses.
A bit of contact lens care goes a long way.
