If you wear contacts, you may have grown accustomed to placing the small lenses directly onto the surface of your eye. However, proficient insertion of the lenses does not necessarily mean that they are being placed and worn safely. Here are a few measures that you should take to ensure that your contact lenses are safe and comfortable:

Don't apply moisturizer to your hands before inserting your contact lenses.

After washing your hands and drying your hands, insert your lenses. If you apply skin-moisturizing products, such as lotion or body oil to your hands before inserting the lenses into your eyes, the skin lubricants will be placed in the eye along with the lens. Since many of these materials are irritating to the eyes, it is best to avoid their use until after your contact lenses are in place. In addition, some of these materials may include germs that will contaminate your lenses prior to insertion.

Before inserting your contact lenses, make sure that they are not inside-out.

After removing a contact lens from its case, place it open-side-up on the tip of a clean index finger. Look at the shape of the lens. If the lens has a smooth u-shaped appearance, it is not inside out and can be inserted. However, if the lens appears to flare around the top edges, forming a tiny shelf around the lens border, it needs to be placed adjusted so that it is right-side-out.

If you wear a contact lens inside-out, the lens will likely be uncomfortable to wear. However, it does not pose a safety issue.

Replace your lens case regularly.

Many people who wear contact lenses may regularly replace their contacts, but they may not replace their case. Even if a case is properly dried between uses, it can still include residual contaminants that may build up over time. The presence of a fungus or other microbial contaminant in the lens case could lead to an eye infection.

Don't sleep in your contact lenses.

Sleeping in your contacts can cause your eyes to receive less-than-optimal amounts of oxygen. This reduction in oxygen can cause the cornea of the eye to swell, allowing bacteria to invade surface cells. This can elevate the risk of infection. In addition, if there are bacteria on your contact lens, the microbes may be trapped against the surface of your eye.

To learn more ways to keep your eyes safe and comfortable as you wear contact lenses, contact Bass River Optometrics or a similar organization.

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