Contact Lens Wear and Care

To enjoy safe and completely trouble-free contact lens wear, always follow our handy guide set out below:

Contact Lenses Care Guide

How to put in contact lenses

1. Always wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly with a lint free towel before handling your lenses.

2. If you’re using new or daily lenses, simply remove them from their packaging. If you have two-weekly or monthly contact lenses, use your recommended solution to rinse your lenses and remove any debris.

3. Place your contact lens on the tip of your finger and check that the lens isn’t inside out – some lenses have a visual marker, otherwise look to see if the edges have a slight lip and the edges should be curved inwards, not outwards. (Note – always insert your lenses in the SAME order each time to make sure you don’t mix your lenses up.)

4. Looking straight ahead into a mirror, use your other hand to hold your eyelid open – an easy way to do this is to hold your top lashes against your brow bone. Using your middle finger of the hand with the contact lens, pull your bottom lid down. You can either look upwards and place the lens in the lower part of your eye, blinking gently until it’s in the correct position, or place the lens directly over the iris by looking straight ahead and again, blinking.

5. Once the lens is in place, repeat the process for the other eye.

6. After inserting your lenses, rinse your case with solution and let it air-dry.

How to take out contact lenses

1. As with inserting contact lenses, you should always wash your hands with soap and dry them thoroughly before taking out your contacts.

2. If you have two-weekly or monthly lenses, ensure your contact lenses case contains your recommended solution and is ready for placing your lenses in after cleaning. Next, look upwards and gently use your index finger and thumb to slide the contact lens down into the white of your eye and gently squeeze between your thumb and finger to remove.

3. You can then repeat the process for the other eye and either dispose of them or follow your recommended cleaning routine before placing in your contact lens case.

Find out more here: https://coopervision.co.uk/contactlenscoach#!/landing

Things to Remember

Do…

• Always clean and disinfect your lenses AND case using the system recommended to you
• Always replace your lenses AND your case at the recommended intervals
• Always examine the lens for any nicks or tears before inserting the lens and avoid damaging your lenses by keeping fingernails short, smooth and clean
• Always apply moisturisers, creams and make-up after inserting your lenses
• Always have back up spectacles available in case you need to remove your lenses
• Always seek and follow advice before using any form of medicated eye drops with your lenses.

And, NEVER…

• Never bring your lenses into contact with tap water or saliva, both of which may carry bacteria, which can cause eye infections
• Never switch the type of solution you use without the advice of your practitioner
• Never store your lenses in saline, always use the correct soaking or disinfecting solution
• Never wear lenses for longer than they are designed to last
• Never sleep in your lenses, unless you have been advised that it is safe to do so
• Never wear a lens which is damaged in any way
• Never rub your eyes when wearing contact lenses
• Never swim in lenses, unless they are Daily Disposable and you are wearing swimming goggles

Finally, each day ask yourself;
Do my eyes look good, feel good and is my vision clear?

If you cannot answer ‘yes’ to all three questions below, remove your lenses immediately and seek the advice of an Eyesite practitioner.