I got my first pair of glasses in middle school. They were blue, plastic, and revelatory. For the first time I saw clearly what was just beyond my arm’s length – floating specks of dust, leaves rustling in the breeze, the teacher’s whiteboard.
I didn’t think it could get any better, but then I got my first pair of contact lenses. No dirty glasses to repeatedly wipe clean and no frames falling off my face while playing sports? Heaven!
That’s why I take extra time to care for my contacts, because the last thing I need is an eye infection or other vision complication.
August 22-26 is National Contact Lens Health Week. If you’re a contact lenses wearer like me, follow these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to keep your eyes as healthy as possible:
- Wash your hands with soap and water before touching your contacts.
- Don’t sleep in your contacts unless your eye doctor prescribes it.
- Keep water away from your contacts.
- Rub and rinse your contacts with contact lens disinfection solution to clean them. Never use water or saliva to clean them.
- Rub and rinse your contacts’ case with contact lens solution and dry it with a clean tissue. Never use water to clean your case.
- Always use fresh contact lens disinfecting solution in your case; don’t mix fresh solution with old solution.
- Remove your contacts right away if you have eye pain, discomfort, redness, or blurred vision.
- Carry a pair of glasses in case you need to take out your contacts unexpectedly.
Get more information on contact lens health at cdc.gov.
