By 2027 the contact lens market in the US is set to rise to USD 15.7 billion. Contact lenses have seen a rise in popularity in the past couple of decades due to the ease they provide. Contact lenses like the Biofinity contact lens are lightweight and less obtrusive. Any person who has had to wear glasses for a long time can confirm their meddling nature.
Wearing contact lenses can be pretty helpful and convenient but there are certain risk factors that people need to be aware of.
Risks Involved
Unlike glasses, contact lenses are in direct contact with the eyes. Therefore, they need to always be in a good condition. Old contact lens can wear out and scratch your eyes. This can cause the blood vessels to grow into the cornea. This is a very dangerous condition that threatens the vision.
Even eye drops can cause problems if used while wearing contact lenses. Therefore it is recommended to not use any.
If contact lenses aren’t taken care of, they may cause redness, itchiness or even blurry vision in some cases. In some cases, people experience some kind of discharge from their eyes. These can be symptoms of some serious eye condition and a doctor should be called immediately.
Taking Care of the contact lenses
Taking care of contact lenses translates into taking care of the eyes. Therefore the matter should be taken very seriously. It is better to ask your doctor how to take care of the contact lenses.
Here are a some thing that can be done to take proper care of the lenses:
- Follow the basic instructions
- Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. All the information about how to clean, store and wear the lenses is usually provided by the manufacturer itself.
- The doctor that recommended the lenses also gives directions on how to use the lenses. These directions need to be noted down and followed properly.
- Over time, contact lenses can deform. The same is true about the cornea which changes its shape over time. So, regular appointments should be set with an eye doctor to keep ‘an eye’ on it.
- Clean your lenses properly
- Contact lenses need to be cleaned regularly. Rinse the contact lens with a sterile contact lens solution and let them dry in open air.
- Hands are supposed to be washed with soap and dried with a lint free towel before touching the lenses.
- The ‘rub and rinse’ method to clean the contact lenses involves rubbing the lenses with clean fingers first. Then, rinse them with sterile contact lens solution before soaking them. This method works even with a ‘no rub’-type of solution.
- Do not rinse using tap water or saline solution. Do not reuse old solutions either.
Contact lenses are a great solution for those who are tired of wearing glasses. It is even a fashion option for people who want to have a different eye color. However, only use them if a person can take care of them.