How Do You Know When Its Time to Change Your Contacts?

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For many people with vision problems, contact lenses are a fantastic alternative to glasses; nonetheless, overwearing or improperly using contact lenses tin can be painful and potentially dangerous. By assessing your contact use and your level of comfort, you lot should be able to tell whether you need to take your contacts out or replace them altogether.

1. 1

   Check your recommended clothing time. Your contact lenses may accept a recommended wear elapsing, depending on the blazon of contacts yous purchased. If yous're unsure nigh your contacts, check the packaging or call your centre doctor to ask nigh how long you can continuously habiliment your lenses. Most contact lenses fall into one of the following categories:^[1]

   • Daily article of clothing — These lenses are often the least expensive, and therefore may exist one of the nearly prevalent types of lenses. Daily wear lenses must be removed each dark to be cleaned and disinfected.
   • Extended wear — These lenses tin exist left in while you sleep and for several days in a row, only must be removed at least once every week for cleaning and disinfecting. Even with extended clothing lenses, though, at that place is still a risk of heart infections if left in overnight or for too many days in a row. Thus, it is best to accept your contacts out every night.
   • Disposable lenses — This blazon of lens does non need to be cleaned/disinfected, simply must be thrown abroad after the prescribed length of time has passed. Depending on the type of dispensable lens you purchase, your lenses may need to exist removed and replaced every day, every calendar week, or every calendar month.

2. 2

   Recall whether y'all slept with your contacts in. One easy way to determine if y'all've been overwearing your contact lenses is to assess whether you've kept them in overnight. Some contact lenses are fabricated for round-the-clock continuous use, but many need to be removed and soaked overnight.^[two]

   • Only habiliment your contact lenses overnight if your eye doctor has told you it is safe to do so.
   • If you can't remember whether it's safe to leave your contacts in overnight, call or visit your eye doctor to inquire for clarification.
   • If your heart physician has brash against leaving your contacts in overnight, you demand to take your contacts out every night before bed. If you lot've been leaving them in, there'southward a good chance yous've been overwearing them.

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3. 3

   Appraise whether your eyes are irritated. I of the virtually common results of overwearing contact lenses is eye irritation. This can develop of a sudden or over time. Center irritation is non usually a medically serious trouble if you remove your contacts and intendance for your eyes right away, though it may indicate a more serious ailment. You may want to see your doc if yous experience whatever of the following^[three] :

   • Pain/discomfort in the eyes, which may include itchy, burning, or a gritty awareness
   • Excessive vehement or production and discharge of other fluids
   • Aberrant sensitivity to calorie-free
   • Excessive redness
   • Swelling
   • Blurred or unclear vision

4. 4

   Check for symptoms of behemothic papillary conjunctivitis. Giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) is a blazon of allergy-related middle infection. Though it has "conjunctivitis" in the name, it is not related to pinkish eye, and therefore is non contagious/infectious. GPC is caused past either an allergic reaction to the lens cleaner you utilize, the bodily lens itself, the friction of a contact lens rubbing against your eyelid, or a buildup of debris on your contacts.^[4] It can occur with both soft and rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses, although some studies propose that you are more probable to contract GPC from wearing soft lenses. Y'all should run into your eye doctor immediately if you feel whatever of the following symptoms:

   • Itching
   • Burning
   • Redness
   • Blurred vision
   • Bloated/droopy eyelids
   • An increase in mucus draining from your middle
   • The sensation that in that location is a strange piece of debris in your middle

5. 5

   Take out your contact lenses. If you've experienced any pain or discomfort, or if you've identified whatsoever of the above symptoms, you should take your contact lenses out immediately. Check the packaging to determine if you need to discard the lenses or simply have them out for cleaning/disinfecting. No matter what you determine to practise with the lenses, it's a good idea to allow your optics remainder without contacts for at least a few hours. Endeavor wearing glasses or simply taking your lenses out at night before yous slumber, and take care of your eyes if they're uncomfortable.^[five]

   • Use a re-wetting solution or saline eye drops to lubricate your optics. This can reduce redness and discomfort.
   • Wash your hands with soap and water before handling contact lenses. Dry your hands with a disposable paper towel.
   • Use a finger from your non-ascendant hand to hold your upper eyelid open. Use the middle finger of your dominant mitt to hold downwardly your lower eyelid.
   • Using the index finger of your dominant hand, slide the contact off the eye of your eye and outward or downward onto the white of your eye.
   • Once the contact is off the centre of your middle, advisedly use your alphabetize finger and thumb to compression the contact lens and pull it off of your heart.
   • Be sure to put the contact lenses into a proper storage container filled with clean saline solution immediately later removing them from your eyes.
   • Avoid wearing contacts over again until y'all've spoken with your center doctor nearly the irritation you experienced. Information technology may have been a simply aggravation, but information technology could be a sign of more than serious bug.^[6]

6. 6

   Limit your apply of contact lenses. Even if your lenses are fabricated to wear continuously, they can yet cause discomfort to your eyes over fourth dimension. Experts more often than not recommend that you avoid pushing the limits of what your contact lenses have been tested and approved for, equally prolonged wear has been linked to discomfort and more serious vision problems.^[7] If you wear contact lenses, you may want to try limiting your extended use, if at all possible.

   • Take your contact lenses out to sleep. This is the easiest style to reduce your utilize of contact lenses, and many middle professionals recommend it.
   • Switch to glasses when you get home from work/school. Contacts are convenient for when you lot tin't or don't desire to wearable spectacles, but if y'all're just relaxing at dwelling you may want to give your eyes a break.

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1. one

   Check how oft your lenses need to be replaced. The frequency with which you'll need to replace your contact lenses will depend entirely upon the type of contact lenses y'all wear. Y'all may exist able to find this data on the packaging of your contact lenses; if you cannot discover this data on your contact lens packaging, telephone call your eye md to discover out how frequently you should exist replacing your lenses.^[8]

   • Daily dispensable lenses typically demand to exist replaced every day.
   • Two week disposable lenses should be replaced one time every 2 weeks.
   • Monthly disposable lenses should be replaced once every month.

2. 2

   Evaluate how long you've had these lenses. One time you know how often you should exist replacing your lenses, you'll need to decide how long you've actually been using them. Information technology's okay if you don't remember the exact date, but you should exist able to place approximately how long you've been using that pair of lenses. Going forward, yous should take measures to go on runway of the date y'all started using the lenses and how long they're meant to be worn.^[9]

   • It may be helpful to marker the kickoff date on a agenda or on the contact lens packaging.
   • Try setting a daily, weekly, or monthly warning for yourself on your cellphone so that you remember to supervene upon your lenses. You can fix this warning to repeat on a regular basis and then that you lot never forget to supervene upon your contact lenses when you're supposed to.

3. iii

   Err on the side of caution. If you're unsure about how long you've had your current contact lenses, it may be all-time to be proactive and cautious. Discard any lens that you call up is overused, especially if you've experienced any pain or discomfort. Immediately discard any lens that has go ripped or torn, every bit this tin can scratch your cornea or cause other types of damage to your middle.^[10]

   • It'due south ameliorate to accept to pay for an extra pair of contact lenses than to take a chance damaging your eyes and altering your vision.
   • Once you supersede your lenses, begin keeping track of the date you lot open a new pair. Be enlightened of how long your type of contact lenses are meant to be worn, and don't overwear them going frontward.

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1. 1

   Care for irritated eyes. There are many possible reasons why your eyes could become irritated while wearing contact lenses. Your eyes may not be getting enough air, y'all could be suffering from allergies/infection, or there could be some clay/debris built up on your lens. The lens could also exist torn, past its intended apply date, or it could simply be the wrong shape for your eye. If your eyes become irritated from wearing contact lenses, whether you've overworn them or not, it's best to take them out and come across an eye doctor earlier wearing lenses once more.^[11]

   • Take your contact lenses out immediately and put them in your lens case with fresh contact solution. If you think the lenses might be by their intended apply appointment or have a tear, throw them out correct abroad.
   • Apply a re-wetting solution or saline eyedrops to lubricate your eyes. This should salvage some of the discomfort if your eyes are dry.
   • Clothing your eyeglasses instead of contacts for a while. It'due south all-time to avoid wearing contact lenses again until you've seen your center doctor.
   • Make an center appointment and have your eyes evaluated for more serious medical weather condition.
   • Run across a md immediately if y'all feel pain, signs of infection, flashes of lite, persistently blurred vision, or sudden loss of vision.

2. 2

   Handle your contacts properly. Having dirty easily or handling your contact lenses wrong tin atomic number 82 to those lenses causing you pain and discomfort. Your centre doctor should inform you of how to handle your contact lenses, and you should follow those instructions carefully.^[12]

   • Wash your easily with soap and clean water before you handle your contact lenses or touch your eye at all.
   • Dry your hands with a clean, dispensable paper towel.
   • Make certain you practise non apply whatever hand lotion, perfume, or scented oils before handling your contact lenses.
   • If you wear hair spray, make sure you lot apply it to your pilus before you insert your contact lenses. Spraying hair products with your contacts in could trap airborne particles against your eye.
   • Apply makeup after putting in your contact lenses to avoid accidentally touching your lenses with makeup on your hands.
   • Brand sure your fingernails are trimmed short and filed smoothen before handling your contacts. A sharp or jagged fingernail could tear a lens or scratch your heart.

3. 3

   Clean/disinfect your lenses. It'due south important to clean and disinfect your lenses every day, fifty-fifty if y'all have extended wear lenses. Ever use fresh contact solution, and don't use whatsoever other liquid to make clean your contacts.^[13]

   • Avoid using h2o or saliva to clean your lenses. Your saliva harbors a staggering corporeality of bacteria, and water (even tap h2o) can contain microorganisms that are safe to drink but could cause serious damage to your eyes.
   • Never reuse contact lens solution. Always pour out a fresh pool of solution every fourth dimension you store your lenses.
   • Make clean your lens case. Empty out any old solution, wash the case with warm water, rinse information technology with contact solution, and allow it air dry.
   • To clean your lenses, you lot tin can squirt a footling solution into the palm of your hand and carefully use the index finger of your other hand to swirl the lens around in the solution.^[14]

4. 4

   Replace your lenses and lens case on schedule. Talk to your centre doc to ensure that you're replacing your contact lenses as oft as you should exist. In add-on to replacing your contact lenses on a regular ground, you may not realize that yous should also replace your contact lens case regularly. Most experts recommend replacing your example every three to half dozen months, as clay and bacteria can build upwardly in spite of regular cleanings.^[15]

   • Keep track of when y'all should supplant both your lenses and your example.
   • Ask your eye doctor for a chart showing how often you should replace your case.
   • You can also merely mark it on your calendar, write the date you lot started the lenses on their packaging, or set a reminder alert in your cellphone.

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• Remember to give your eyes a break once in a while by wearing eyeglasses instead, or leaving your contacts out overnight. A two week break from contacts is usually a expert amount of time to let your eyes reset.

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• If your eye is hurting, take the lens out and wear glasses. If the discomfort persists, encounter your centre doc as before long as possible.

• Never bear on your eye without thoroughly washing your hands. Make sure you do not apply any lotions, perfumes, or scented oils before handling your contacts.

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