How to take care of contact lenses

Dr. Annie Bacon and Eye Department in Portland, Oregon thoroughly enjoy working with contact lens patients in Portland, Oregon. It is important to understand how to take care of contact lenses. Contact lenses can be an excellent option or tool for many patients. Contact lenses are great for active sports, Have you ever thought to yourself, I wish I could try contact lenses but my astigmatism prevents me. Well, that may not necessarily be true. Give Eye Department Eye Care & Eyewear a call at 503-227-0573 to discuss options. If you are a new contact lens wearer or your child is new to wearing contact lenses, the information in this post will provide a baseline for care and use. It is important to maintain healthy eyes and using proper care and cleaning is critical in your success as a contact lens wearer.

Whether you are new to contact lenses or have been wearing them for a while, it is important to get started with the basics. Portland Optometrist Annie Bacon at Eye Department Eye Care & Eyewear provides full-service eye care for contact lenses. This post will provide you with an overview of what you can expect during your comprehensive eye exam and contact lens evaluation. Full service means comprehensive and individualized eye care. Dr. Annie enjoys working with the latest and greatest contact lenses including dailies, cosmetic and colored contact lenses. Simply having worn a certain brand or a certain modality for an extended time period is not a reason to exclude  other options. It’s always fun trying the latest and greatest contact lens technology and what better way to make an informed opinion than to enjoy the process and try additional contact lens options. Ciba Vision/Alcon, Johnson and Johnson, Vistakon and  Baush + Lomb are major research organizations that are continually pushing the boundaries in contact lens technology. Contact lens technology has improved and the industry has grown dramatically in the past few years. Eye Department recommends patients maintain an open mind when it comes to eye care solutions. Simply because something worked in the past is not a guarantee that it will continue to work in the future. As we age, so do our eyes.  This is why Portland Eye Doctor Annie Bacon recommends the healthiest contact lenses for each patients based on current needs, lifestyle and desired outcomes. Dr. Annie Bacon works with Portland contact lens patients in a comprehensive manner to understand visual needs, concerns and lifestyle desires. This process includes a thorough eye examination, an evaluation of your suitability for contact lens wear, the lenses, necessary lens care kits, individual instructions for wear and care and unlimited follow-up visits over a specified time. It is important to recognize that the corrective prescription for glasses and contacts will always be different. These are different products and solutions sitting at different distances from your retina. Most glasses sit 8-12 millimeters from your eye ball whereas the contact lens sits directly on your eye ball. Therefor, it is safe to say the calculation, contact lens evaluations and measurements will be different from your glasses prescription. Please do not assume your google search is more informative than our decades of combined experience in eye care and eyewear.

What are the best contact lenses for me? Are you a new contact lens wearer? Are your children new to wearing contact lenses?

Recommendations for Contact Lens Wearers from the American Optometric Association

      1. Always wash your hands before handling contact lenses.
      2. Carefully and regularly clean contact lenses, as directed by your optometrist. Rub the contact lenses with fingers and rinse thoroughly before soaking lenses overnight in sufficient multi-purpose solution to completely cover the lens.
      3. Store lenses in the proper lens storage case and replace the case at a minimum of every three months. Clean the case after each use, and keep it open and dry between cleanings.
      4. Use only products recommended by your optometrist to clean and disinfect your lenses. Saline solution and rewetting drops are not designed to disinfect lenses.
      5. Only fresh solution should be used to clean and store contact lenses. Never re-use old solution. Contact lens solution must be changed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, even if the lenses are not used daily.
      6. Always follow the recommended contact lens replacement schedule prescribed by your optometrist.
      7. Remove contact lenses before swimming or entering a hot tub.
      8. See your optometrist for your regularly scheduled contact lens and eye examination.

Source: http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/contact-lenses?sso=y