INSTRUCTIONS FOR SOFT CONTACT LENSES
SOME HELPFUL HINTS
- Always wash your hands before handling contact lenses and dry your hands with a lint-free towel. Facial Tissues contain wood fibers that can be transferred from your fingers to the lens – this can cause scratching of the lens and irritate your eyes.
- Place a towel over the sink counter and remove lenses above towel. Make sure the drain is closed. Also, place toweling in the bottom of the sink so that the lens, if dropped, can be removed without damage.
- Contact lenses should be inserted before makeup application, and removed before makeup removal.
- Get into the habit of taking your carrying case and solution with you whenever you are wearing your lenses. If you should have to remove your lenses, you will have a safe place to put them. You should not allow your soft lenses to dry out; this can result in damage of the lens.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes since this cause the lenses to fall out or move under the upper lid. If the contact lens becomes displaced, blink repeatedly or close your eye and roll your eye around, and the lens should find its way back onto the cornea.
- NEVER use tap water on a soft lens. NEVER use medications in the eye when wearing your soft lenses, unless specifically directed by your Eye Doctor. NEVER use cleaning solutions made for conventional hard contact lenses on your soft lenses.
- Keep your fingernails short and trimmed to avoid scratching your cornea or tearing your contact lenses.
- Should your eyes become painful, and your vision blurred, or a discharge develops, discard your lenses and stay out of contact lenses until the condition subsides. If the problems persist, contact our office.
- If you have a cold DO NOTwear your lenses.
INSERTION OF A SOFT LENS
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Very carefully remove the soft lens from your carrying case. Examine lens to make sure that it is not turned inside out. (See illustration below)
Edges of the lens should be turned inwards like a bowl
Place the soft lens on the index finger of the dominant hand, and use the middle finger of the same hand to hold the lower lid down. The other hand is used to hold the upper eyelashes out of the way, in order to avoid blinking during insertion. The eyes should be directed at a mirror. Touch the bottom of the lens GENTLY to the cornea, and lean the top of the lens forward, then without pressing, remove your finger. (The wet lens should naturally be attracted to a wet cornea.) Slowly let go of eyelids and gently blink. If the lens has been properly placed, your vision will be clear. If vision is not clear and the lens is still uncomfortable after several minutes, take the lens out to see if it is inside-out.
WEARING TIME
If is very important that you follow the Doctor’s direction very closely regarding the wearing time. Tolerance to the contact lens must be gradually developed or permanent corneal damage may result.
1st DAY…4 HOURS MAXIMUM. Add 2 hours per day up to 12 hours per day until the Doctor sees you again. An appointment is usually scheduled one week after you take your lenses home.
WEAR YOUR LENSES INTO THE OFFICE ON THAT DAY.
PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to wear your lenses for several days or weeks because of illness or loss of lenses, you must slowly increase your wearing time again. The cornea must again adjust. Begin at four hours the first day and increase your wearing time by two hours a day, NO MORE, until you have again reached your maximum wearing time.
REMOVAL OF THE SOFT LENS
Get into the habit of removing and inserting your right lens first, so you will not get your lenses mixed up.
One method for removing your soft lens is to look STRAIGHT ahead, using the thumb and index finger of one hand, spread the lids, and with the thumb and index finger of the other hand gently pinch the edges of the lens together, while pulling the lens off the eye.
Another method for removing the soft lens is to first look up. This will displace the lens inferiorly, and you can use the index finger to assist it further down. Again, use the index finger and thumb to pinch the edges of the lens together, and gently remove.
Once each lens is removed, place a small amount of contact lens solution in the palm of your hand. Place the lens on top and gently rub the lens for 30 seconds. Replace your case with fresh contact lens solution and place the newly cleaned lens in the case. Remember to always insert, remove, and clean the right lens first to avoid mixing the lenses. DO NOT USE TAP WATER.
After you put the contact lenses in again, throw away the old solution and clean the case with soap and water. Allow it to air dry. Always replace the solution in your case each day, and replace the contact lens case every 3 months.
QUICK REVIEW
INSERTION: Start with right eye;
- Dominant hand middle finger pulls down lower lid at the eyelid margin.
- Other hand holds upper eyelashes out of the way.
- Dominant hand index finger LEANS contact lens on center of eye. DO NOT PUSH IT ON.
- Look towards the left and right to help center the lens and get rid of any air bubbles
- Let go of the upper lid and gently blink.
REMOVAL
- Follow Step 1 & 2 from above.
- Pinch lens off of the eye using your thumb and index finger and index finger pulls lens off center of eye.
Keep your lens case very clean with soap and water. REMEMBER TO REPLACE YOUR CASE EVERY 3 MONTHS! Even though it looks clean, it can have a biofilm at the bottom that grows microbes. Replacing your lenses and the contact lens case as directed will reduce the risk of sight-threatening corneal infection. Remember to also wait 1 hour in the morning before you put your lenses on your eye, and remove lenses 1-2 hours before bedtime.
Please contact our office if you have any questions or problems regarding your lenses, at (416) 486-6084.
