Time For Your First Contact Lenses? 3 Safety Tips You Should Be Aware Of
Wearing glasses when you're a teenager can be a real pain. If the frame gets loose, you may have to keep pushing them up so they don't slip off your nose. Not only that, but if you take PE in school, you have to make sure your glasses don't get broken. That's where contact lenses come in. Switching to contacts will allow you to correct your vision without worrying about prescription glasses. Before you start wearing your new contacts, here are some safety tips you should be aware of.
You Shouldn't Sleep in Them
It might seem like a good idea to sleep in your contacts – you can see as soon as you wake up and you don't have to mess with solution – but it can actually damage your eyes. While you sleep, your contacts will be drying out, which means you'll have to work at getting them off your eyes. Not only that, bacteria can build up under your contact lenses while you sleep. To prevent damage to your eyes, take your contacts out before you go to bed at night. If you think you'll forget and fall asleep with them on, take them off about an hour before you go to bed and put your glasses on.
They Need to Be Kept Clean
Your contacts are going to get dirty. Even if you have disposable contacts that you'll toss out after a few uses, you're still going to need to keep them clean. The best way to ensure clean contacts is to follow the instructions provided by your optometrist. In addition, you should make sure you use fresh cleaning solution each time you clean them. It's also a good idea to give your storage case a good cleaning at least once a month. This will ensure that you remove the germs and bacteria that can contaminate your contacts.
You Shouldn't Ignore Vision Problems
When you're wearing contact lenses, problems like eye infections can occur when you least expect them. To prevent permanent damage to your eyes, you should notify your optometrist if you develop any problems with your eyes – especially pain, burning, itching, or swelling. These may be signs of a serious eye infection.
If this will be your first time wearing contact lenses, you need to be prepared for the responsibility. Use the tips provided here to take care of your contacts and protect your vision.