Contact lenses for cosmetic purposes look great and can radically change your appearance. The first thing most people worry about when first using lenses is putting them in and taking them out. However with a little practice anyone can get the hang of it, and all you really need to do is add five minutes onto your morning beauty routine. The real key to looking good is being healthy, and there are a number of important factors that colored lens wearers need to consider to ensure the health of their eyes is maintained.
Eye health and cosmetic lenses – why it’s still important to see your optician
The popularity of cosmetic, colored, or zero-powered lenses has given rise to the need for more education on the topic of eye health. Before you make a purchase you should be aware that caring for your contact lenses should be taken as seriously as it would be if you were wearing them under prescription for a few important reasons. Consumers who are buying lenses for cosmetic purposes are not generally required to go for a fitting at their opticians, and this gap in the process can lead to them miss out on important care information relating to hygiene, the length and suitability of wear, fitting, and a current assessment of their eye-health both before and after the fitting has taken place. For those reasons it is in the wearer’s best interests to consult with an optician as it can raise a number of important issues.
Contact lenses and falling asleep
The strict advice for contact lens wearers is to never fall asleep whilst wearing them. The outer part of the eye is called the cornea and the contact lens is placed on top of it. If you happen to fall asleep while wearing your lenses the cornea will receive less oxygen, and this is particularly true of colored lenses due to their design. Overnight the cornea will suffer from a small amount of swelling which lessens quite quickly once the lens wearer wakes up. This type of corneal swelling is more evident in those wearing certain types of contact lenses and can lead to a greater chance of corneal infection.
Common eye health problems for colored contact wearers
With cosmetic lenses it is also just as important to ensure that they are compatible with your eyes as with prescription lenses. Corneal ulcers and infections such as conjunctivitis are a significant risk to all contact lens wearers that are not fully informed in eye health; corneal ulcers can quickly turn into an internal ocular infection without the appropriate treatment and supervision. Be mindful of corneal abrasion through poor sizing, knowing your fit can help you to be a safer consumer, and having this information will enable you to purchase your lenses online and have peace of mind. While such instances of infection can happen, it is important to stress that the problems that occur for wearers of colored lenses are more often than not, a result of poor compliance with recommended usage, and bad contact lens hygiene.
The contact lens hygiene checklist and caring for your products
Contact lenses should only come into contact with clean hands, and the appropriate contact lens solution for cleaning and storage. They should never come into contact with water, or saliva and should always be changed and replaced after the advised length of time. The contact lens solution in your storage case should also be changed every time you remove your lenses to reduce your risk of infection. If you leave your lenses in their case for more than seven days you will also need to ensure that you clean and re-store them in fresh solution. It is also not advisable to use eye drops in conjunction with your lenses without the advice of your eye healthcare provider.
Keep an eye on it
Generally speaking it is always important to get regular eye checks, especially if you feel your vision is deteriorating in any way. Your contact lenses should be comfortable, look good and you should be able to see well. If you have any doubts about your lenses then you should make an appointment to see an opthalmologist. Eyes are not only the windows to the soul; they are also your window out onto the world.