4 Tips For Wearing Contacts For The First Time
Wearing contact lenses can seem intimidating at first, but once you get used to them you will be surprised by how convenient and comfortable they are. In order to make your transition to wearing contacts as smooth and easy as possible, follow these four tips for first-time contact wearers:
Focus on Cleanliness
Keeping both your contact lenses and your hands completely clean is very important. If bacteria from dirty contact lenses or hands gets into your eyes, you can easily develop a painful eye infection that requires antibiotics to treat. Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling your new contact lenses. Then, clean your contact lenses in multi-purpose contact lens solution that both rinses and disinfects after every use.
If you are worried you won't be great at keeping your contact lenses clean, you may want to ask your eye doctor about single use or daily use lenses, which are thrown away after one wear. Your eye doctor can tell you if these are an option for your specific prescription.
Make Sure Your Lens is Facing the Right Direction
When holding a contact lens in your hand with the open side pointing downward, the bottom half should be rounded and almost bowl-shaped. If it is instead very pointy, your contact lens is inside out. Simply pop it in the other direction before wearing them. When in doubt, there are diagrams online showing how your contact should look.
Practice Putting Them In
Your eye doctor will demonstrate for you, but to put your contacts in you simply use one hand to hold your eyelids open and then gently place the contact onto your eye with the other hand. Blink a few times until the contact feels like it's comfortably in place. It may take a few tries to get the hang of it, so it's a good idea to practice putting your contacts in when you have plenty of time, instead of waiting until you're rushing out the door.
Keep Eyes Moisturized
Some people experience dryness and mild discomfort when they first wear contacts until their eyes adjust and get used to them. Drinking plenty of water and blinking often can help keep your eyes hydrated and comfortable. If the feeling of dryness doesn't go away after a few days, talk to your eye doctor. You may need special moisturizing contacts to combat the drying effect of wearing contacts.
Wearing contacts can make your life much easier, once you get used to them. By following these tips and any instructions given to you by your eye doctor, you will have an easy and comfortable transition to wearing contacts and will soon wonder how you lived without them.