Tips for Success

When cared for properly, contact lenses can provide a healthy, comfortable and convenient vision correction option. Whether you are new to contact lenses or have been wearing them for years, the following tips will help you to enjoy the benefits of contact lenses.

Ongoing Professional Care

For your own safety, CIBA VISION believes that you must seek the care of a licensed optometrist before you use contact lenses. In fact, in most countries, it is required that contact lenses only be fit by optometrists – and not bought without optometrist oversight in such places as gas stations, beauty stores or flea markets. Only your optometrist is educated, trained and licensed to examine, and properly fit the lens to your eyes. By visiting your optometrist, you can be sure that you will receive the right contact lenses for your eyes and personal vision correction needs, as well as instructions on how to properly care for them.

Furthermore, proper follow-up care by your optometrist is essential to ensure eye health throughout your life. Over time, your eyes and lenses can change, often without symptoms or warning signs which may put you at risk for developing potentially serious complications, including vision loss. Regular ongoing professional care can help to ensure a lifetime of good vision and eye health. Please consult your optometrist for a recommended visitation schedule, which usually varies between every 6-12 months.

Following a Wearing Schedule

Different lenses are made for different wearing schedules. While some lenses can potentially be worn for a week or even a month of continuous wear, others are meant to be taken out daily. To protect your eyes from serious complications, it is important that you follow the wearing schedule that your optometrist recommends. Please consult your optometrist if you have any questions about the proper wearing schedule of your lenses.

Inserting and Removing Your Lenses

It is important that you wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly each time you handle your lenses. Good hygiene helps to eliminate germs which can cause eye infection – especially for smokers. Do not insert a lens into an eye that is red, irritated or painful. In these instances, you should contact your optometrist immediately before continuing contact lens use.

Caring for Your Lenses

Depending on the type of lens you are wearing, there are many different options for cleaning and disinfecting your lenses. Some lenses, such as daily disposable lenses, require little to no lens care – they are simply thrown away after each use. However, if you wear lenses that your optometrist has recommended that you take out and re-insert into your eye, they should be cleaned and disinfected after each use. Proper care for your lenses can help your lenses stay clean and comfortable for you to wear. Your optometrist can help you decide what lens care solutions are best for you.

Reduce the Risk for Infection

Clean and safe handling of contact lenses is one of the most important measures contact lens wearers can take to protect their sight. The following are a few tips you can follow while cleaning and wearing your contact lenses to help avoid any adverse events:

  • Always wash and dry your hands before touching contact lenses.
  • Carefully and regularly clean your contact lenses.
  • Never use water direct from the tap to rinse your lenses or your lens case.
  • Use fresh solution each time you place your lenses in a lens storage case. Do not "top off." ("Topping off" is adding a little more solution to the solution that is already in the case.)
  • Rinse your lens case with solutions recommended by your optometrist and according to the manufacturers’ guidelines.
  • A new lens case should be used with each new bottle of solution.
  • Do not swim without protective goggles while wearing contact lenses. Swimming while wearing contact lenses can cause serious problems and is not recommended. Ask your optometrist for specific advice regarding swimming with lenses.
  • Use only solutions intended for usage with contact lenses and never reuse your solutions.
  • Replace your contact lenses as recommended by your optometrist as well as the manufacturer of the lens.

Problems?

If you experience any problems with your contact lenses, please remove your lenses and consult your optometrist right away. Discomfort can be an early sign of a more serious complication, and early treatment can have a significant impact on overcoming problems.