Contact lenses are a great device for people suffering from eyesight problems. They offer freedom and flexibility to people using them instead of eyeglasses. They come in different types like colored and circle contact lenses that not only correct your vision but also are a great cosmetic accessory. There are millions of people that use contact lenses every day.
There are some precautions associated with contact lenses as well. One of the most important is that they must be worn for the time duration mentioned in the box. Most of the contact lenses are made to be used for a day and must be taken off cleaned and stored in their container to keep them safe and away from all the impurities that might cause infections and other vision problems. There are some specially designed circle and colored contact lenses that can be worn for an extended period of time. Some can be worn overnight while others can be worn for a fortnight. But all of them have a disposable duration on them and they must be disposed at that time. Depending on the duration of disposability there are three types of contact lenses.
Daily disposable contact lenses:
These are soft contact lenses that are the most comfortable and most preferred by the doctors. They must be taken at the end of the day disposed of and a new pair is used the next day. They have no maintenance and are the safest option for your eyes.
Weekly disposable contact lenses:
Some weekly contact lenses can be worn for straight 6-7 days while others must be taken out at night, cleaned properly and stored for the use the next day. These contact lenses must be replaced at the end of the week and a new pair is used.
Monthly disposable contact lenses:
Similar to weekly contact lenses monthly contact lenses must be taken out at night, cleaned and stored every day. Some extended wear contact lenses can be worn for 30 days without removing but we don’t recommend it.
Although the extended contact lenses can be worn for long periods of time the doctors recommend to remove contact lenses after 14-16 hours and give your eyes a rest. The eye needs to breathe and no matter how breathable a contact lens is you need to give your eye a break. If you wear contact lenses for long periods of time your chances of getting an infection increases rapidly and if you wear them longer than their prescribed time the effects get even more devastating.
If you wear contact lenses too long the following can happen:
- Red-eye
- Blurred vision
- Light sensitivity
- You can get sore in your eye called corneal ulcers.
- Your eye won’t be able to breathe so it will develop hypoxia where the blood vessels grow to an abnormal size.
- Chronic inflammation.
If you experience any of the above-mentioned problems immediately take off your contact lenses and consult your doctor.
All of the above-given problems can be avoided simply by keeping a few things in mind.
- Always wash your hands before putting on or taking off your contact lenses.
- You must not wear contact lenses longer than the duration mentioned on them.
- Contact lenses must be applied before applying makeup and taken off before removing makeup.
- They must be taken out and cleaned properly and then stored in their container to avoid any problems.
- Always buy contact lenses from authentic vendors.