10 Mistakes to Avoid With Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are a great option for improving your vision, but taking shortcuts with lens care can lead to eye discomfort and other problems.

“Eye dryness and irritation can make lenses uncomfortable to wear for extended periods,” says Thomas Stokkermans, OD, PhD, an optometrist, Director of Optometric Services and Co-Director of the Dry Eye Center of Excellence at University Hospitals. “There is also an increased risk of allergic reactions, corneal inflammation and severe infections associated with improper contact lens care habits.”

Are You Putting Your Eyes at Risk?

Cleaning your lenses isn’t difficult, but following a consistent care routine is one of the most effective ways to protect your eyes and vision. To keep your contacts in top shape and your eyes healthy, here are 10 habits to avoid:

1. Improper handling of lenses. If you don’t wash your hands with soap and dry them with a clean, lint-free towel before handling your contact lenses, you can transfer germs and other contaminants to the lenses and your eyes.
2. Not cleaning contact lenses. If you wear any type of contact lens other than daily disposables and you don’t clean them properly, the dirty lenses can cause bacterial infections and may even scratch your cornea (the clear front surface of your eye that covers the colored part of your eye and pupil).
3. Topping off or reusing old lens solution. Mixing fresh contact lens solution with the old solution can reduce the solution’s ability to disinfect your lenses and enable germs to multiply in the lens case. Pouring contact lens solution into a different bottle can also contaminate the solution and increase your risk of an eye infection.
4. Sleeping with your contacts in. This is a common habit, but also one of the riskiest. Napping or sleeping in contact lenses deprives your eyes of oxygen causing bacteria and microbes to grow, which increases your risk of a serious eye infection or an inflamed cornea. The habit of not removing your contact lenses before you go to sleep can also cause eye pain, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light.
5. Showering, bathing or swimming without removing your contacts. Getting soft contact lenses wet can cause them to warp, swell or stick to your eye and irritate the cornea. There are also germs in water that can get inside your lenses and cause eye infections, like Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is a rare but severe infection caused by a waterborne germ (Acanthamoeba) that’s particularly hard to treat. It can require eye surgery, and in severe cases, lead to blindness.
6. Rinsing your eyes or contact lenses with tap water or saliva. This quick fix may seem like a good idea if you’re pressed for time or don’t have disinfecting solution on hand, but it’s risky for the same reason as showering, bathing or swimming without removing your contact lenses. Neither tap water nor saliva are sterile. Rinsing your contacts with them potentially exposes the lenses and your eyes to harmful bacteria.
7. Getting too much screen time. As a contact lens wearer, you’re already at greater risk of developing dry eye. Spending long periods on devices like smartphones, computers and tablets can increase digital eye strain and worsen dry eye symptoms. “It can also start – or feed – a vicious cycle of dry eye disease,” says Dr. Stokkermans. “When the surface of the eye becomes dry and inflamed, it can interfere with the body’s ability to maintain a healthy tear film, and as tear quality worsens, your contact lenses can make dry eyes even drier.”
8. Wearing lenses beyond the recommended replacement time. Trying to stretch the life of your contact lenses may seem economical and eco-friendly, but it puts your eye health at risk. “Overwearing contact lenses can cause conditions like contact lens acute red eye (CLARE) and giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC),” says Dr. Stokkermans. Even if you clean your lenses every day, protein deposits and other contaminants can build up on them over time, which can affect your eye comfort, level of dryness and vision, and increase your risk of infection and other complications.
9. Using your fingernails or tweezers to remove stuck contact lenses. If your contact lens gets lost or stuck in your eye, trying to remove it with sharp objects or by vigorously rubbing your eye could injure your eye’s delicate surface or damage the contact lens.
10. Purchasing your contact lenses without checking that the correct prescription was filled. Studies have shown that lens prescriptions are often filled incorrectly when purchased online. Loopholes in regulations can allow online lens retailers to switch to a different brand than the one prescribed or skip verifying your prescription before filling it. Most people aren’t aware that this is happening, which is why it’s so important to check that your prescription was filled correctly.
    “Wearing the incorrect lens could cause blurred vision, and a poorly fitting lens can be uncomfortable and put your eye health at risk,” says Dr. Stokkermans. “It’s important to have lenses fit by a professional contact lens-fitting doctor, like an optometrist or ophthalmologist, so that the lens fit is assessed on your eye.”

What You Can Do to Protect Your Eyes

While bad habits can increase your risk of eye problems, following a simple contact lens care routine and addressing any concerns with your eye doctor can help keep your eyes healthy and your lenses feeling good. A few simple changes can make a difference:

• Lens care and cleaning: Always follow your eye doctor’s instructions for handling, cleaning and caring for your contact lenses.
• Keeping solutions sterile: Use the recommended contact lens solutions and remember to avoid mixing the fresh solution with an old one, whether in the bottle or your lens case. Be sure to clean your contact lens case and periodically replace it too.
• Avoiding lens contamination: Don’t ever nap, sleep, shower, bathe or swim with your contact lenses in – or rinse your contact lenses with tap water or saliva.
• Limiting screen time: Be mindful of how many hours a day you spend looking at your smartphone, computer, tablet and other devices.
• Lens wear and replacement: Stick to the schedule your eye doctor recommends for wearing and replacing your lenses.
• Removing a stuck or lost lens: Never use sharp objects to remove a stuck or lost contact lens from your eye. If it’s a soft lens, use the pad of your finger to move it to the white of your eye instead, and then gently pinch the lens with your pointer finger and thumb to peel it off. “Rinsing your eye with sterile saline or rewetting drops and blinking a few times may also help,” says Dr. Stokkermans. “If it’s behind your eyelid, look in the opposite direction of where you think the lens is, then close your eyes and lightly rub your eyelid until the lens starts to move.” Don’t worry, the lens can’t slide behind your eye.
  “If it’s a gas permeable lens, it’s best to try to irrigate a lens out of the eye with a sterile contact solution, but you should not rub or press hard on the eye because you can scratch your eye,” he says. If the lens doesn’t come out or your eye becomes very irritated, go to your eye doctor or an urgent care facility or emergency room to have it removed.
• Make sure you fill the correct contact lens prescription: “Don’t order a different brand of lenses online because of a promotion or some other reason,” says Dr. Stokkermans. “Check to make sure that the lenses that are sent to you match the prescription you received from your eye doctor.” If you find that the lenses you received do not perform as expected, consult with your eye doctor to solve the problem, especially if you didn’t order the lenses through the doctor’s office.

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The UH Eye Institute, ranked among the best in the country, has advanced expertise to diagnose and treat a full spectrum of eye disorders and diseases in both adults and children. Our dedicated team can help you find the right contact lenses, ensure they fit properly and teach you how to care for your lenses safely.