Contact Lens

I would like to share about contact lens. Well I’ve been wearing contact lens since I was 15. I’m certainly sure for now after 7 years of experiences how to care for my lens. I even had eyes infection when I was 18. I lived in my matriculation college in Perak and my lens solution is running empty and I need to wait till weekend to buy a new one or to ask my parents to come over to replace it. So I have no choice but to save my solution so I do not really rinse my lens before I put it on. I thought it was safe to do so since I washed my hands but it was a very bad thought. I had to go to the doctor because I had eyes infection. To make it even worse, I had to take 2 weeks off from my classes. Luckily I rest at my house but it is still a torture considering I can’t go out from my room. My siblings would curse me because they do not want to get the infection too. My eyes were like super red back then but I knew it is not contagious since my doctor says so. Whatever. Speaking about lenses back, I’ve tried many ranges of contact lenses from Acuvue, Ultraflex, Bausch & Lomb, Ciba Vision O2, Freshkon and the list goes on. As for me, I think the best lenses are those from Ciba Vision O2 and Freshkon lens. They have a high number of water content which will make your eyes feel the moisture and remains the moist. I first started to wear lens because I had trouble with my spectacles. I do not really like wearing spectacles because it felt like there is something hanging over my nose and it’s absolutely bothering me. I took another option which is to wear contact lens. At first, I felt quite weird having something in my eyes and it will not fit my eyes perfectly. I mean it took a couple of days for my eyes to adjust and it is the norm of wearing contact lens. I wear contact lens on a daily basis and I only wear corrective contact lens with no color. I do wear colored contact lens but only to certain occasion. It would be awkward if I wear colored contact lens on a daily basis. Haahah..
If you want to wear contact lens you should ask your doctor first. Sometimes there are few people who cannot wear lens since they have certain types of allergic conditions. When your doctor says it is okay for you to start wearing lens then you should opt for good lens. Then you should know how to properly put in contact lens and take it out from your eyes. You must put in your lens in front of a mirror but you don’t need to do so when you’re taking it out.
Here are some of my tips:

1) Be sure to take out your lens when you’re done with your school, work or whatever you’re doing to give your eyes a rest. (when wearing contact lens your eyes is tired)
2) Always wash your hands before you touch your lens. Cleanliness is very important when handling with lens.
3) Always bring your lens case and solution to anywhere you go. Sometimes you’ll feel something weird with your eyes because of dust, sunlight or etc. You do not want to throw away your lens just like that. Haha
4) Do not try to nap with your contact lens if you think you’re not comfortable enough to do so. You may do so if you’ve been wearing lens for a while but try to avoid it.
5) Avoid wearing the lens more than 8 hours a day. It will cause your eyes to appear red.
6) Never reuse the solution. By doing so, you are at risk of getting infection.
7) Always thoroughly rinse each side of your lens with your solution. It is to make sure your lens is clean before you put it in your eyes.
8) Soak your lens in a clean case and always change your case every 1-2 months or when you think it is dirty.
9) Do not put rinse your lens and case with tap water or just any solution. It may cause infection or sight damage.
10) Contact lens should not be worn more than the recommended wearing period (1 week or 1 month). It may vary according to which lens you buy.
11) Don't let the tip of solution bottles touch other surfaces, including your fingers, eyes or contact lenses. The solution can become contaminated.

Some people say it is okay to sleep with lens but I don’t do such. But it has occurred to me quite a few times. I accidentally took a nap with my lens and when I woke up my eyes were extremely dry. Therefore it is always not safe to sleep with your lens. I have read about it and it says it can cause a cornea ulcer causing pain and aversion to light. If you ever sleep with your lens better stop doing so. You might not want to lose your sight because of your carelessness. I was once caught sleep with my lens in and the next thing I knew when I woke up, one of my lens wasn’t in my eye. It slide to somewhere under my upper eyelid. I could not reach it and I started to cry because my mom scared me and scolded me (My parents do not really like the idea of me wearing lens). Then it suddenly slipped out from my eye because I cried too much. I guess the lens felled with my tears. Thank goodness I do not have to undergo the eye operation and after that I have always be extra careful not to sleep with my lens again. Please note that there are few lenses in stores like Ciba Vision O2 where you can sleep in them. If it does not say so, better not to sleep with them.

Lessons of the story: Do not sleep with your lens no matter how tired you are and always rinse your lens before you put it in. =]