Your Contact Lens Needs

DOs and DON'Ts for Contact Lens Wearers

DO:

1. Always wash hands before handling contact lenses to reduce the chance of getting an infection.
2. Remove the lenses immediately and consult your eye care professional if your eyes become red, irritated, or your vision changes.
3. Always follow the directions of your care professional and all labeling instruction for proper use of contact lenses and lens care products.
4. Use contact lens products and solutions recommended by your eye care professional.
5. Rub and rinse your contact lenses as directed by your eye care professional.
6. Clean and disinfect your lenses properly following all labelling instructions provided.
7. Clean, rinse, and air dry your lens case each time lenses are removed. You have want to flip over your lens case while air drying so that excess solution can drain out of the case. Contact lens cases can be a source of bacterial growth.
8. Replace your contact lens storage case every three to six months.

DON'T:

1. Don't use contact lens solutions that have gone beyond the expiration or discard date.
2. Don't "top-off" the solutions in your case. Always discard all of the leftover contact lens solution after each use. Never reuse any lens solution.
3. Don't expose your contact lenses to any water: tab, bottled, distilled, lake, or ocean water. Never use non-sterile water (distilled water, tap water, or any homemade saline solution). Exposure of contact lenses to water has been associated with Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal infection that is resistant to treatment and cure.
4. Don't put your lenses in your mouth to wet them. Saliva is not a sterile solution.
5. Don't transfer contact lens solution into smaller travel-size containers. This can affect the sterility of the solution, which can lead to an eye infection. Transferring solutions into smaller size containers may also leave consumers open to accidentally using a solution that is not intended for the eyes.