Contacts: Do's and Don'ts

Do’s and Don’ts of Contact Lens Care

Do:

• Always wash your hands and dry them thoroughly before handling contact lenses.
•  Clean and disinfect contact lenses with fresh multi-purpose solution as recommended by your optometrist. Never reuse old solution.
• Follow the recommended contact lens replacement schedule prescribed by your optometrist.
• Remove contact lenses before swimming, taking a shower, or entering a hot tub.
• See your optometrist regularly for a contact lens and eye examination to ensure continuous ocular health.

Don’t:

• Don’t use tap water, distilled water, or homemade saline solutions as part of your lens care system.  Exposure of contact lenses to water has been associated with Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal infection that is resistant to treatment and cure.
• Don’t use cream soaps or lotion. They can leave a film on your hands that can transfer to the lenses.
• Don’t share your contact lenses with others.
• Don’t moisten contact lenses in your mouth.
• Don’t transfer contact lens solutions into smaller travel size containers. This can affect the sterility of the solution which can lead to an eye infection.

REMOVE your contact lenses immediately and consult your optometrist if you experience eye redness, eye pain, excessive tearing, or a sudden change in vision.