How to look after your contact lenses

Care of gas permeable lenses

There are two aspects to the care of gas permeable contact lenses.

Firstly the lenses must be cleaned daily to remove the mucus and grease deposited from the tears.

Secondly the lenses and the case in which they are stored must be kept disinfected by using the appropriate soaking solution fresh each day.

Supplementary procedures may also be required in some instances but using the recommended solutions and changing your case regularly will help ensure optimum performance from the lenses.

When the lenses are removed from the eyes and they should be rubbed gently between your thumb and forefinger with the cleaning fluid and rinsed thoroughly with saline solution. The lenses should then be placed in the case and covered with the soaking solution and left overnight

Prior to insertion, the wetting solution should be spread over the lens to aid initial acceptance of the lens by the eye.

Handling
In both insertion and removal the habit should be developed of dealing with the right lens first to avoid interchanging the lenses.

Insertion
1. Wash hands
2. Place the right lens on the right middle finger concave side uppermost
3. Using the two fingers of the left hand, hold the top lid from above
4. Pull the lower lid down with the ring finger of the right hand
5. Looking into the mirror, place the lens gently on the centre of the eye
6. Slowly release the lower lid and a moment later the upper lid
7. Confirm the lens is properly in place by covering the other eye and checking the vision
8. Repeat the procedure inserting the left lens with the left hand
9. Rinse out the case and allow to air-dry

Removal
1. Wash hands
2. Looking into the mirror, turn your head so that the right eye is slightly towards your nose
3. Open the eyes as wide as possible to ensure upper and lower lids are clear of the lens
4. Pull the corner of the eye outwards to obtain equal tension in both lids
5. While the lids are tight, blink and the lens will fall out
6. If you are unsuccessful at the first attempt, repeat the procedure from the beginning
7. Clean and rinse the lens
8. Place the lens in it's case
9. Repeat for the other eye

Care of soft contact lenses

There are two aspects to the care of soft contact lenses.

Firstly the lenses must be cleaned daily to remove the mucus and grease deposited from the tears.

Secondly the lenses and the case in which they are stored must be kept disinfected by using the soaking solution fresh each day.

Supplementary procedures may also be required in some instances but using the recommended solutions and changing your case regularly will help ensure optimum performance from the lenses.

When the lenses are removed from the eyes and they should be rubbed gently between your thumb and forefinger with the soaking or special cleaning solution (you will be advised which care system is suitable for you). The lenses should then be placed in the case and covered with the soaking solution and left overnight.

Handling
In both insertion and removal the habit should be developed of dealing with the right lens first to avoid interchanging the lenses.

Insertion
1. Wash hands
2. Place the right lens on the right middle finger concave side uppermost
3. Using the two fingers of the left hand, hold the top lid from above
4. Pull the lower lid down with the ring finger of the right hand
5. Looking into the mirror, place the lens gently on the centre of the eye and apply slight pressure to expel and air trapped under the lens
6. Slowly release the lower lid and a moment later the upper lid
7. Confirm the lens is properly in place by covering the other eye and checking the vision
8. Repeat the procedure inserting the left lens with the left hand
9. Rinse out the case and allow to air-dry

Removal
1. Wash hands
2. Pull down lower lid with the middle finger of your right hand
3. Place the tips of your right index finger and thumb against the sides of the lens (you may need to hold the upper lid steady with your left hand)
4. Pressing against the eye with the tips of your fingers and thumb, gently pinch the lens and remove from the eye
5. Clean and rinse the lens
6. Place the lens in it's case
7. Repeat for the other eye