How to care for contact lenses

Why lenses need specialized care. Eye health directly depends on the quality of care for your contact lenses. If during operation the instructions are violated or the daily care is carried out with violations, this can lead to negative consequences and the development of eye problems. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively and timely care for the lenses.

How to properly care for different types of lenses, taking into account their features

One-day lenses do not need any care. Immediately after use, they are discarded, since you can not wear them for more than one day.

Soft lenses can be designed for a month, three months or six months. In any case, they must be cleaned daily and disinfected after removal, for example, before bedtime. Today special multifunctional solutions for soft lenses that greatly facilitate daily procedures. Soft lenses are divided into silicone and silicone hydrogel.

It is necessary to perform a series of sequential actions: open the container, remove the lens and put it on the palm of your hand, apply the solution on a concave and curved surface, gently wipe the lens on both sides, rinse it in the solution and put it in the container, pour the solution to the mark and close the container, give lie in the solution for 5-10 minutes.

Attention! all manipulations need to be done with clean hands. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and wipe them with a lint-free towel.

Rigid gas permeable lenses require special care. For their production, polymethyl acrylate is used, which reduces wettability. To increase wettability, lenses are specially wiped with special compounds before each donning. As a result, lipids accumulate on the surface of the lenses and plaque forms, in which microorganisms can multiply. Proper care can reduce the development of plaque and minimize the risk of the development of microorganisms in it.

Remember! If the lenses are used for more than three months, if protein deposits form on the lenses, enzymatic cleaning is necessary.

Read more about lens types here.

Daily cleaning

Daily cleaning is carried out in several stages. First, remove the lens and carefully place it on the palm of your hand, then apply a few drops special solution, which is selected for each material separately. Wipe both surfaces gently with your fingertips. Fill the container with the solution selected for the material and place the lens there. To minimize the risk of contaminants, you must constantly monitor the cleanliness of the container.

Enzymatic cleaning

For its implementation, special enzyme tablets. They carefully remove the resulting film (enzymes, tear fluid, micro-pollution) from the surface of the lenses. The technology allows you to return transparency and provides wearing comfort. The methodology itself is similar to the one presented above.

Disinfection

Disinfection is a periodic procedure that provides comfortable wearing and performs a protective function. As a rule, it is carried out by applying special formulations: chlorhexidine, polyquad, benzalkonium chloride and so on. Often, a peroxide system is used to sterilize and effectively remove deposits and contaminants. Disinfection is relevant for lenses that have a life of more than one month. Disinfection rate: once every two weeks.

The main active ingredient of disinfecting solutions is a three percent solution of hydrogen peroxide, which effectively fights a wide range of bacteria and microorganisms.

Attention! The peroxide system cannot be used for soft lenses with a high moisture content, this can ruin their structure.

Basic rules for storing contact lenses

First of all, the lenses cannot be kept in the open air for a long time, since the moisture contained in them begins to evaporate, which leads to deformation and drying out. After that, the lenses will be unusable. Keep lenses only in a specialized containerfilled with solution. This avoids drying, and also has a moisturizing effect. The container should always be absolutely sterile, and the solution should be changed once a day.

Read more about storing contact lenses here.

Care for colored lenses: what you need to know

Colored contact lenses contain a thin layer of pigment that requires special care. Non-aggressive media that gently clean the pigment layer are used for daily cleansing. Peroxide systems are not suitable for their disinfection, more delicate formulations are needed.

Related materials

Mandatory tools for proper care are a container and tweezers. Containers come in several types: for disinfection, road and universal. Each of the listed types has a special purpose. The containers must be changed monthly and never washed with water from the water supply. Rinse the container only with the solution intended for this purpose. Periodically, once a week, it is necessary to perform heat treatment of the container.

The consequences of improper care

Compliance with the correct technology for cleaning contact lenses allows you to protect yourself from vision problems and various negative health effects. Personal eye hygiene must be strictly observed. and the optimal mode of wearing (remove lenses once a day before bedtime). Otherwise, inflammatory processes and the development of inflammatory diseases, such as inflammation of the eyelids, keratitis, conjunctivitis and so on, are inevitable. Also, in the absence of cleaning, the micropores of the lens become clogged, this reduces the transparency of the lens and worsens the effect.

To summarize

In conclusion, I would like to say that only with timely cleaning and proper care can achieve effective vision correction. Experts recommend daily cleansing immediately after removal. Saline cannot be used for disinfection, since it does not contain disinfectants. If the lens has been damaged or the expiration date has expired, it must be replaced immediately. Before going to bed, you need to put the lenses in a solution, hands should be clean.

A contact lens care video is also helpful.

Watch the video: Contact lens eye care tips - Avoid problems from contacts - A State of Sight #79 (March 2024).

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