How to Use Contact Lens Eye Drops the Right Way

Product review & courtesy

People who wear contact lenses either for color change or for prescription may feel dryness to relieve which, they require contact lens eye drops. These eye drops rewet your eyes, moisten your contact lenses and reduce irritation or inflammation caused by dryness. Eye drops contain preservatives that help combat fighting against bacteria and prevent infection. However, awareness is yet to be created among users that using them the wrong way will do more bad than good. Like contact lens multi-purpose disinfecting solution, your eye drops of all types are bound to lose the efficacy if used improperly. To help contact lens eye drops last you the longest, read the facts below

1. Don’t Keep the Cap Off

Leaving the cap off will evaporate the preservative that your eye drops contain. This way it will no longer be effective for preventing infection. Eye drops provide relief when a foreign body sensation is felt or when you develop an eye sore. Contact lens eye drops don’t only help fighting against the foreign agent but also provide relief from discomfort by breaking down the protein & lipids that might have accumulated on the surface of contact lenses.

2. Don’t Touch the Tip

The dropper tip must not touch your eye lashes. Often people whilst instilling eye drops don’t take proper care and bring the dropper tip too close to the lashes. The bacteria from on to your lashes this way are transferred to the eye drops. Though the preservative will still prevent infection; it will lose its efficacy sooner than expected.

3. Keep an Eye on Expiration Date

Last but not the least, never ignore the expiration date. It holds the most value among all pharmaceutical products. After a product expires, it cannot warrant you to keep functioning properly. It may have already lost the preservative by losing which a medicine no more remains a medicine but just a solution of harmful & expired chemicals.

Eye drops provide instant relief from the discomfort caused by contact lenses. There are several over the counter eye drops available but it is better to invest in a quality product. Complete Blink N Clean eye drops by Abbott Pharma with its unique two-in-one formula rewet your eyes whilst cleaning them and that too within a blink. With 90 days of expiry product; these eye drops ensure maximum prevention from dryness & infection.

3 Things you must avoid with Contact Lenses

Martina Dimoska

Being warned is being armed. Contact lenses need meticulous care & handling. There are certain contraindications with contact lenses that must be prevented. Some bad hygiene practices make your eyes susceptible to infectious diseases and may be responsible to infest your contact lenses with bacteria accumulation. Please practice good hygiene and avoid the following bad habits in order to maintain exemplary ocular standards.

Rubbing Eyes with Contact Lenses

When your eyes are irritated or inflamed; rubbing them vigorously feels tempting. Contrary to this; rubbing your eyes actually worsens the infection & cause abrasions. It wreaks more havoc when you are wearing contact lenses. Aggressive rubbing can tear contact lenses & cause ocular injuries.

Over-using Eye Drops

Artificial tears and lubricating eye drops help relieve the symptoms of irritation. However, over-using non-prescription eye drops are not less than a threat to your eyes. These eye drops though instantly soothe dry irritated eyes, it is recommended to observe caution. Since eye drops contains preservatives that may be harmful to the cornea when used in excess; American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests keeping a good balance between the two doses of eye drops.

Smoking and Contact Lenses

With each cigarette you smoke you welcome 7000 hazardous chemicals into your blood stream. They restrict blood-flow to retina which turns eyes drier and blood-shot. Since contact lenses also block oxygen permeability to some extent, smoking furthermore deprives eyes of its enough oxygen supply.

Also Read: 3 Horrific Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Contact Lens Wearers

How Long to Soak Contact Lenses Before the First Use & Why?

Contact lenses and circle lenses come; packed in vials or blisters containing an isotonic sterile solution. It is most commonly known as saline solution; made up of NaCl, Hydrogen per oxide, buffering agents & other bacteria killing chemicals. This isotonic solution is only meant to keep contact lenses sterile& soft till before the first use.

Saline Solution doesn’t Disinfect Contact Lenses

It is necessary to soak contact lenses for 6-8 hours in multi-purpose solution or in disinfectant before the first use. This is done to neutralize them before letting them come in contact with your eyes. The saline solution is normally used to rinse circle lenses. Remember it only rinse circle lenses and is not capable of disinfecting them.

The best habit is to soak your contact lenses in solution for over-night. This way they become soft whilst the solution replenishes and prepare contact lenses to get acquainted with human eyes overnight.

What if I wear Contact Lenses directly out of the Box?

As mentioned earlier; the isotonic solution in which contact lenses come in is not safe for your eyes. Wearing contact lenses directly after taking them out of the vials will burn your eyes, sting them leading to excess watery eyes.

Which disinfectant should I use to soak my Contact Lenses In?

There are several quality solutions available. We recommend ABBOT’s Complete Blink n clean multipurpose solution to soak, rinse, disinfect & store contact lenses.

Warning: Do not confuse multi-purpose solution with your eye drops. Multi-purpose solution is not a replacement of your eye drops.