Bad contact lens habits that can cause serious damage

Horror stories about people losing their eye sight due to infections is nothing new. Wearers prone to bad habits have been known to suffer from red crusty eyes, impairment and even blindness. According to clevelandclinic.org, about 80 to 90 percent of contact lens-related eye infections are bacterial. Many involve a common and tough-to-treat bacteria known as staphylococcus aureus.

But the most severe may be pseudomonas aeruginosa, a fast-growing bacterial infection that can lead to a hole in your cornea which has a high chance of permanent scarring and vision loss.

People use contact lens due to varied reasons from beauty purposes to prescription as an alternative to spectacles. For those who use contact lenses, there are habits you need to drop asap or risk a serious infection and in the worst case scenario blindness. You don’t need to see when you are sleeping so take them out!  

Some habits include

Sleeping while wearing your contacts

This dangerous habit increases the risk of infection six to eight times. It is advisable not to sleep with your contacts because it can cause corneal ulcers due to the cornea lacking oxygen from the atmosphere. This is the cornea has no blood vessels. The cornea is already deprived from lack of oxygen due to the eyes being closed all night and adding a lens on top of that stresses it more. You should pay more attention to soft contact lenses that can create an ideal condition for pathogens to grow.

Swimming in your contacts

Swimming pools are full of bacteria, pathogens and other disgusting pollutants which shouldn’t get into your eyes especially when you’re wearing them. Whether you’re swimming in a salty beach or fresh pool, water has bacteria or chemicals that leak into your contacts.

Using tap water to clean or store them

Tap water may be safe to drink but it is not sterile and is filled with microorganisms.  Therefore use the lens liquid to clean them.

Not replacing as prescribed

Contact lenses should be replaced daily, after two weeks or monthly depending on the prescription. For daily use for example, do not exceed 24 hours. Throw them away and do not re-use.  They should not pass the advised time due to protein build-up that doesn’t come off despite regular cleaning.

Wearing contacts past their expiration date

As much as contacts are convenient and easier to use, just don’t risk with expired ones.

Using dirty hands

This is pretty much self-explanatory. Hygiene should be observed when removing and putting on your contact lenses. Not properly washing your hands is asking for trouble. You should avoid contaminating them at all costs.

Sticking your contacts in your mouth to wet them

It happens that you find yourself in a place without your case, no source of water and you must remove your lens because a dust particle entered causing some irritation. So what do you do? Remove and wet it using your saliva to lubricate. Problem is, do you know the amount of bacteria that reside in your mouth?

Topping up the contact lens solution without changing it

You would think it is obvious that you should always use fresh solution and pour out the used one but no! The old solution is no longer effective in fighting bacteria and the topped solution will not help either.

Getting contacts from unlicensed sources

We understand they look good especially the colored lenses. But, if you didn’t get the fit of the lens checked by an optician it could lead to serious damage if they don’t fit.

Not visiting an eye doctor

It is important to know the state your eyes are in and whether they are getting worse and if it is time to explore other options.

With that said, there are best practices you should consider. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap, use lens solution or hydrogen peroxide to clean your case, replace the solution after wear and wear only for the duration prescribed.