How to Safely Wear Contact Lenses If You’re Going to Wear Them Anyway
Back in April, we reported on a recommendation from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) that contact lens wearers should temporarily return to glasses due to the pandemic. In addition to avoiding anything that involves sticking fingers in your eyes right now, the AAO also noted that contact lens accidents may require medical attention , and we should really try to stay away from healthcare facilities if is it even possible.
But as Lifehacker associate editor Jordan Calhoun put it, “Teaching glasses based on abstinence alone won’t work — people will wear contact lenses.” If this is your situation and you need to wear contact lenses right now (people have their reasons!), Here’s how to do it as safely as possible.
Of course you need to wash your hands
This really shouldn’t be anything new, especially during a pandemic, but you should definitely wash your hands before touching your contact lenses and then putting them on your eyeball. “It’s important to remember that while there are many concerns about the coronavirus, prudent precautions can significantly reduce the risk of infection,” says Dr. Sonal Tuli, an ophthalmologist and AAO spokesman, in an article on the organization’s website . “So wash your hands often and keep your contact lenses hygienic.”
Do not forget about your business
If the outside of the contact lens case is covered with some kind of dirt in the bathroom and / or your fingers, if you don’t wash your hands again after opening the case, this debris will get into your eyes. And while the insides of the drawers seem to be constantly clean, you need to do more than just pour the used contact water into the sink after you put them in the sink.
AAO recommends rinsing the inside of the case with sterile contact lens solution (not tap water) and then leaving the empty case open to air dry. Dr. Ed Bennett , an optometrist and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry, takes it a step further and advises you to tidy up your suitcase (and buy a new one) every week.
Avoid rubbing your eyes
As well as washing hands, now it concerns everyone. And while there is no evidence that wearing contact lenses increases the risk of COVID-19 , Tooley notes that people who wear contact lenses touch their eyes more often than the average person, so this should be kept in mind.