Are you in the one percent? Eight do's and don'ts for wearing contact lenses

Carol H. Johnson, OD

Posted November 19, 2015

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study revealed that nearly all—99 percent—of contact lens wearers engage in improper behavior that increases the risk of eye infection. Making good decisions on how you handle your contact lenses will pay off now and in the long term. Read my list of do's and don'ts to find out how you can stay in the one percent of contact wearers with safe habits, and reduce the risk of eye infections.

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8 Do's & Don'ts for wearing contact lenses

Follow these do's and don'ts to stay in the one percent.

Do: ALWAYS wash your hands with soap and water before handling your contacts.

Don't: SLEEP in contacts. The cornea may swell, allowing an opening for opportunistic organisms to invade and cause infection.

Don't: TOP OFF THE SOLUTION in your lens case. Reused solution creates a dirty stew of harmful ingredients, so ALWAYS REPLACE the solution after every use.

Don't: EVER wear someone else's contact lenses. Infections are easily transmitted.

Do: DISINFECT you contacts when you take them out. Contacts easily absorb damaging organisms that won't evict themselves, so you need to.

Do: REPLACE monthly-wear lenses monthly and weekly-wear lenses weekly. They build up protein, bacteria and mucus, which can lead to infection.

Do: ASK FOR HIGHER-OXYGEN contact lenses. Your cornea regenerates itself weekly and it's able to do so more efficiently if it receives more oxygen.

Don't: WAIT longer than a year for your regular eye exam. Your doctor can often spot early signs of disease long before you notice.

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