Everyone knows the importance of contact lenses. How many of us are aware of proper handling of these delicate objects?
Contact lenses are in contact with eyes all the time, making it important to keep the lenses extremely clean. Lenses must be maintained for their cleanliness under hygienic conditions. It is not very difficult to do so.
Once put into practice, it all becomes very easy.
First of all, ensure that your fingers are clean, with no dust particles or greasy elements. You may start with a medicated soap wash of your hands. Ensure that the soap is mild (and not strong) and you have wiped your hands with a fur-free towel.
Ensure that you have not applied any cream or lotion or other such application on your hands. In other words, these should be cleaned clear with the help of the soap. Cleanliness of this level will ensure your contact lenses to be equally clean.
Once you have cleaned your hands properly, it is now time to start handling the contact lenses. While doing so, ensure that your fingernails are not in touch with the lenses. Nails can inflict utmost damage to your lenses. You may use fingertips to handle the lenses.
The Lens Package
One should be very careful while opening the package containing the lenses purchased from the market. You will find the lenses floating in the solution. To ensure the clear view, shake the pack lightly.
Place the package on a flat surface. It is actually very easy to let it drop down. Now you may open the lens pack by peeling off the thin foil wrapped around the lens.
Now is the time to have a careful look at the lens. You may find the lens along the inside of foil and stuck with the foil. Even is this is the scene, your lens is still in a perfectly sterilized state, and ready to be used.
Once having ensured all of these, it is now time to pick up the lenses.
Handling the lenses
Eye specialists always insist on one very easy to follow practice you should select your left or right eye (your choice) sequence and then wear the lens on that eye. Suppose you start with left eye first and then right eye, ensure that the same is practiced day after day.
It is important for your lenses to be perfectly clean and non-damaged before wearing. Ensure that the lenses are clean, non-damaged, moist and scratch free.
Last thing to be careful about before wearing the lenses look at the shape of lenses. Contact lenses possess natural curved bowl shape. If you find the lens not fitting this description, you are using a wrong lens. Consult your doctor immediately.
While you have placed the lens on your fingertip, the profile should match that of an ideal shaped contact lens.
Wearing the lenses
There are situations when you would like to wash the lenses before wearing them. Look for fresh saline solution to clean / wash the lenses and not the tap water.
Ensuring that you have cleaned your fingers and lenses properly now is the time to place the lens on your fingertip, ready to be put on. Use index finger for this application.
Pull down your lower eyelid using your mid-finger. You may do this by placing your mid-finger below your lower eyelashes.
You may now lift the upper eyelashes by using mid or index finger of the other hand. Now is the time to correctly place the lens in its position. Release the two eyelids and blink three times. Do this very gently without exerting any extra pressure.
You may repeat the same procedure for the other eye.
If you still face some problems with your vision after putting on the lenses, check the lenses again. If you find nothing wrong with your lenses, its time to consult your doctor.
Remember that lenses are nothing but your eyes, so be careful with them as you are with your eyes. |
