Anyone who’s made the switch from permanent glasses to contact lenses knows the feeling of invincibility when you can finally see the world around you for yourself

Anyone who’s made the switch from permanent glasses to contact lenses knows the feeling of invincibility when you can finally see the world around you for yourself.You feel like Clark Kent, walking around with 20/20 vision, and no one knows your secret: you’re literally as blind as a bat.
While contact lenses can make life a lot easier – you can do yoga and see the trainer clearly, in Downward Dog, with trainer Levi, these nifty little vision aids will give you a whole bunch of problems Take care of them.Don’t get me wrong, taking care of your contact lenses isn’t complicated; it just takes a little time and effort each day to make sure you keep them as clean as possible.

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Believe it or not, some contact lens contraindications are less obvious than others, and some of your daily habits may put you at risk for eye infections.Here’s what not to do while wearing contact lenses.
When it comes to the “rules” related to wearing contact lenses, most contact lens wearers tend to engage in risky behavior.A common mistake most people make is sleeping with contact lenses on.A study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found that one-third of contact lens wearers fell asleep without removing their contact lenses at some point.Given that this habit makes you six to eight times more likely to get an infection, with the Sleep Foundation, people don’t take it more seriously.Even more frightening, diseases associated with sleeping with contact lenses often cause individuals to lose partial vision or become completely blind.This is especially true of infections caused by bacterial keratitis, which is primarily caused by sleeping with contact lenses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises.
You may be relieved that your contact lenses are FDA-approved for sleep.”As it turns out, you shouldn’t use that as an excuse,” says the ophthalmologist. Allison Babiuch, MD, told the Cleveland Clinic that you shouldn’t take chances even if your contact lenses are approved for sleep. Danielle Richardson, OD, agrees. “Wearing Contact Lenses Sleeping patients are more likely to develop eye infections such as microbial keratitis and corneal ulcers,” she told Well+Good. Contact, Babiuch warns, when you try to remove your lenses, the resulting dryness can damage your eyes, which can damage your eyes. Increased risk of infection.
If your contact lenses feel uncomfortable, don’t wait; instead, remove them and make an appointment with your optometrist.A variety of factors can cause contact lens irritation, so you shouldn’t ignore it.When you first experience this pain, experts at Feel Good Contacts recommend that you remove a specific lens, clean it, and put it back in your eye.If discomfort persists, take it out again and look carefully.The lenses may tear, which may be the cause of your discomfort.If this is the case, throw it away.If you don’t notice any problems with your lenses, it’s time to contact your optometrist.According to the Optometrists Network, you may have dry eyes, allergies or corneal irregularities causing discomfort.
Surgeon Danielle Richardson told Well+Good it’s best not to ignore your body’s cues when wearing contact lenses.Even if you’ve been wearing contact lenses for years, you should be vigilant.Although your contact lens prescription doesn’t specify a specific time of day you’re allowed to wear them, you shouldn’t continue wearing them when you find yourself rubbing your eyes constantly or when you realize they’re starting to feel uncomfortable.” The length of contact lens wear depends on the patient comfort, dryness and visual requirements, so each patient’s wearing time will vary,” Richardson said.
The following statement may upset many optometrists, but OD’s Alisha Fleming wasn’t vague when asked about SELF extending contact lens wear.”Wearing the same contact lenses for extended periods of time sucks,” she says.”Would you not brush your teeth for a few days or wear the same underwear for a few days?” Well, of course not!So it seems like those trying to save some money by extending the length of their monthly lens wear should have some serious talk.
Surgeon Vivian Shibayama also told SELF that one of the side effects of wearing contact lenses for longer than prescribed is blurred vision due to the buildup of proteins and microorganisms on the lenses.You may also experience very dry eyes, as contact lenses tend to lose their ability to retain moisture after prolonged use.If that’s not enough to put you off, your risk of infection also increases.”The lens material begins to break down after an approved wearing period,” OD Ann Morrison tells SELF.This means bacteria can get into your eyes more easily.”I always tell my patients that the cost of treating the complications of contact lens overwear can be much higher than the cost of proper lens replacement,” Morrison said.
If you regularly suffer from nasty eye infections, you may need to pay close attention to your behavior before touching your eyes or contact lenses.Germs are everywhere, and the last thing you want to do is transfer them into your eyes.Neglecting to wash your hands before handling lenses can lead to serious infections you don’t want to deal with, Scott McRae, MD, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Rochester, told Cosmpolitan.
Echoing this sentiment, surgeon Danielle Richardson told Well+Good that touching your contacts with dirty hands not only transfers potentially harmful bacteria to the lens, but in return the lens transfers it directly to you. on the eyes.Germs are really smart and they move around,” warns MacRae. So next time you need to remove or insert your lenses, wash your hands first!
Raise your hand if you’re guilty of this: Many people like to think that reusing contact lens solutions will save money, but the fact that they’ll pay more to get rid of eye infections will definitely follow.
Ophthalmologists Rebecca Taylor and Andrea Thau spoke to HuffPost about some of the bad habits of contact lens wearers, and as expected, the reuse of contact lens solution is one of them.Doing so will almost guarantee you will get an eye infection.Just like you don’t wash dishes with the same dirty water day in and day out, you should never reuse a contact lens solution under any circumstances.All the bacteria and particles that shed from the lenses at the end of the day are floating around in the solution.Reusing this solution means you’re just putting the lenses back in the bacteria instead of cleaning them.If you have any small tears on your cornea, these microbes will happily infect it, and you’ll wish you took five seconds to throw the used one away.
Ophthalmologist John Bartlett told Healthline that even a small amount of leftover solution plus fresh contact lens solution can cause problems because it can become contaminated with existing bacteria, making it less effective.His advice is to empty the contact lens case and let them dry completely when you put your lenses in.
Did you know you may be allergic to contact lens solutions or even some contact lenses?While seasonal allergies can certainly negatively affect your eyes, if you continue to experience itching and redness, it’s best to consult your optometrist, says Richard Gans, MD, in an article he wrote for the Cleveland Clinic warns.
The contact lens solution you use can significantly affect your eye health.Deborah S. Jacobs, MD, told the American Academy of Ophthalmology that people who are prone to allergies or have other conditions such as eczema or atopy are more likely to react to contact lens solutions, especially multipurpose lenses.Jacobs explained that the more features a contact lens solution offers, the more complex its ingredient list.These extra ingredients found in all-purpose solutions tend to trigger allergic reactions in some people.
There is also the case of the silicone hydrogel material used in contact lenses, which can also trigger allergic reactions.These lenses are often prescribed because they allow more oxygen to enter the eye.According to Bruce H. Koffer, MD, some contact lens solutions do not mix well with these lenses, causing irritation.If you feel uncomfortable after changing to a new lens or solution, don’t ignore it.Visit your optometrist so they can help find the cause.
You might argue that swimming and showering with your contact lenses is the main reason you wear them for extended periods of time.No matter where you go, for every activity, you want a clear vision that glasses can’t always provide.It turns out that if you wear contact lenses while playing in the pool or in the shower, you run the risk of serious infection and even vision loss.
The FDA warns that contact lenses should not be placed near water — which includes swimming pools and showers, as well as natural bodies of water such as oceans and lakes.When you expose your lenses to water for extended periods of time, such as swimming in the afternoon, some of the water may be absorbed by the lenses, as will the bacteria and viruses contained in them.According to Healthline, natural water bodies such as the ocean are at greater risk because their bacterial makeup is more diverse than that of swimming pools.
Bathing with contact lenses carries the same risks and makes you more prone to eye infections, dry eyes and even inflammation.However, the greatest danger is the development of Acanthamoeba keratitis.Caused by the bacteria Acanthamoeba, it can be found in all types of water, including tap water, and it can be difficult to treat and can even cause vision loss.Your best bet is to remove your lenses, and if you’re a professional swimmer, ask your optometrist about prescription goggles.
It may seem like an odd thing to do, but choosing to wear glasses when you’re sick is the best thing for your eyes.Eye infections are most likely to occur when your immune system has maxed out from fighting the flu or cold, surgeon Wesley Hamada told Bustle.This means that it is not effective against bacteria that contact lenses may introduce into the eye.
Lisa Park, an ophthalmologist at Columbia Doctors, pointed out to AccuWeather that wearing contact lenses while sick puts you at risk for eye infections such as pink eye, which are caused by the same virus that causes the common cold.Park recommends treating contact lenses as an infectious object when you’re sick, adding: “We know there’s bacteria stuck in place; it’s considered a biofilm.” “If you have any infection process, , it’s not a good idea to put it on the surface of the eye because your natural immune system and tears can’t wash it away,” explains Park.
When you wear contact lenses, it’s important to schedule annual checkups so your optometrist can assess whether your current lens prescription is still meeting your needs.Surgeon Wesley Hamada told Bustle that annual checkups are important to ensure your eyes are healthy and tolerate lenses well.These tests can also serve as an opportunity to tell your optometrist if your lifestyle has changed to the point where you may need another prescription.

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Eric Donnenfield, a FACS and board-certified ophthalmologist, told the Refractive Surgery Board it’s critical that patients don’t skip annual eye exams because of the risks posed by contact lenses.He encourages patients to discuss any irritation they may experience with their doctor, whether it’s excessive dryness, redness or pain.This can help them give you a better prescription, providing more comfort while ruling out any other problems.Donnenfield also warns that wearing contact lenses can reduce oxygen flow to the eye, which can adversely affect eye health and cause irreversible damage.Therefore, it is best to have your eyes checked once a year.
You already know you shouldn’t reuse contact lens solutions, but what about contact lens cases?According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), three months is the maximum period you can use a contact lens case.This is because bacteria can still multiply in the box even if you fill it with fresh contact lens solution every day.
AOA president and surgeon Robert C. Layman told Livestrong that prolonged use of contact lens cases can allow biofilms and bacteria to multiply.In an interview with The Healthy, former AOA president Christopher J. Quinn said the biofilm that forms in contact lens cases helps protect bacteria from solution disinfectants.So even though the box looks clean, it’s actually a breeding ground for bacteria.Layman warns that these bacteria increase your risk of developing malignant infections that attack and inflame your cornea, such as microbial keratitis and invasive keratitis.In some cases, these infections can lead to blindness, so the next time you can’t remember when you last changed your contact lens case, it’s definitely time to throw it away.
It turns out that you actually need to follow a cleaning regimen every time you remove your contact lenses.The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends applying a small amount of contact lens solution to the palm of your hand and gently rubbing the lenses for 2 to 20 seconds, depending on the type of contact lens solution you are using.While this may seem ridiculous, especially when contact lens solution brands explicitly state that it’s a “frictionless” solution, you should still take the time to do it.
A study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found that wearing contact lenses without rubbing leaves a lot of deposits on the lenses — in short, it’s not clean.Even if the manufacturer advertises the solution as one that will solve your problem, so to speak, it’s not nearly as effective.So get ready to rub; the health of your eyes depends on it.
One of the benefits of wearing contact lenses is that you can finally show off your eye makeup without being covered by your glasses.However, you should only apply makeup after inserting a contact.Eddie Eisenberg, senior optometrist at EZ Contacts, tells The Healthy that not only can you see better when wearing makeup, but you can also avoid getting small particles of eyeshadow and mascara on the lenses when they are inserted.This also prevents irritation and is a great way to prevent infection.In general, rubbing your eyes all day and having debris on your lenses can lead to problems like corneal ulcers.
When it’s time to remove makeup, Eisenberg recommends removing your contact lenses first, for the same reason as above—you can easily apply mascara to your lenses while trying to remove it from your lashes.If you happen to apply mascara, just follow your usual cleaning regimen, including rubbing, and the mascara marks should disappear overnight.
Not all makeup looks are the same, especially for contact lens wearers.To keep your lenses and eyes in good shape, you have to be picky about your makeup.In general, wearing eye makeup carries some risk even if you’re not a contact lens user, but sports exposure puts you at a higher risk of irritation and even infection.
A study published in Eyes and Contact Lenses: Science and Clinical Practice found that eye makeup products, such as pencil eyeliners, were among the culprits.The small particles of this product easily get into the eyes and mix with the tear film, which means your eyes are basically mixing makeup all day.This is the recipe for trouble.The same goes for mascara that contains fibers.Optometrist Susan Resnick told Byrdie that these fibers can quickly settle on your lenses — or worse — under them, causing discomfort.
When it comes to eye shadow, use a primer so there is less chance of particles falling off and ending up in your eyes.You can also opt for a cream shade.Products that contain oil are also a big no-no, Resnick tells Allure, because the oil can get into your eyes and cause clouding of the lenses.Last but not least, check that the eye makeup you buy has been tested by an ophthalmologist and is hypoallergenic.
It’s certainly understandable if you think all eye drops are the same.It turns out that wearing contact lenses means you need to start reading labels.The American Optometric Association (AOA) warns that not all eye drops are compatible with contact lenses and may even cause damage to your eyes and lenses.If you’re not sure if eye drops are safe to use on contacts, check the ingredient list.If the drops do not contain a preservative, they are generally safe for contact, if not, don’t risk it.Some preservatives can seriously damage your eyes if you wear contact lenses.
Optometrist Eddie Eisenberg told The Healthy that some chemicals in common eye drops may be absorbed on contact, causing your eyes to sting for hours.In most cases, it is safe to choose eye drops that clearly state that they are safe to use with contacts.According to Verywell Health, the best eye drops for contact lens wearers are rewetting eye drops.If you’re prone to dryness, dry eye drops may seem tempting, but you should avoid using them with your contact lenses, as they often cause blurring.