Tips on Wear and Care of Your Contact Lenses

Let's face it: Contacts are worn on your eyes, so it's very important to keep your contacts clean and comfortable for maximum lens longevity and clear, crisp vision.

Lens Wear Helpful Hints

• Follow your eye doctor's lens care recommendations!
• Wear sunglasses while you're in the sun.
• Use re-wetting drops to lubricate your lenses for enhanced comfort in dry conditions.
• Don't rub your eyes while you are wearing your contacts.
• Itchy or reddened eyes can be symptoms of serious problems. Remove your lenses and call your eye doctor immediately.
• Always keep a pair of glasses with your current prescription handy.

Caring for Your Contacts

Proper care of your contacts helps to maximize your comfort while wearing them.

DOs:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before handling your contacts.
• Clean and store your contact lenses as directed.
• Use commercially prepared solutions and care products. Pearle Vision recommends ReNu^® multi-purpose by Bausch & Lomb.
• Store your contact lenses properly and replace your case monthly.
• Call your eye doctor immediately if you experience severe itching, redness or chronic blurry vision.

The list of DON'Ts is just as important.

DON'Ts:

• Insert torn or scratched contacts into your eyes. It can cause serious damage to your cornea.
• Put contacts in your mouth or moisten them with saliva. Only use approved care products for your lenses and follow your eye doctor's recommended regimen faithfully.
• Allow anyone else to wear your contact lenses or try them on. You can risk accidentally transmitting or acquiring a serious disease.

Makeup Tips

If you wear makeup and/or cosmetics along with contacts, you'll want to take note of these tips to help you wear your contacts with safety and comfort.

• Always put your contacts on before applying makeup.
• Choose water-based, hypoallergenic brands of makeup. These can be less irritating to your eyes.
• Discard mascara and eyeliner within three or four months, as these types of cosmetics can build up bacteria more quickly than others.
• Avoid waterproof mascara. This type of mascara cannot be easily removed with water and may stain soft contacts.
• Avoid products that are labeled 'natural' or 'preservative-free,' as they are more prone to bacterial buildup.
• Remove your contacts before you remove your makeup.

Emergencies Can Arise

Be sure you have a pair of eyeglasses with your current prescription on hand at all times. Additionally, ophthalmalic-quality sunglasses will help protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays.