Got your first pair of lenses? Excited to leave behind those heavy and bulky glasses in your past and look entirely new? It can be weird to insert something in your eyes and so many people wonder what it’s like to have lenses on.
Wearing lenses for the first time can be intimidating as it is a high-tech medical device and it is inserted in your eyes. You must make the right choice in choosing the daily prescription contact lenses.
Now let’s move on to some things that you will experience or must keep in mind on your first-time wearing lenses –
- Lens Take Time To Adjust
It will take time for lenses to adjust and settle in your eyes. The expected period is around 10-12 days for your eyes to adjust to the contact lenses. In the late 1800s, contact lenses were made with glass, yes, glass. Now the lenses are made of silicone and are soft and painless.
You will feel the edges of the lens initially in your eyes but after a few times, you get used to it. Eventually, you will even forget that you have them on. If you experience irritation, then the lenses may be dirty inside out and you must clean them.
2. Wear Contacts Recommended By Your Doctor
Do not go and buy yourself a pair without consulting your eye doctor. You must follow your doctor’s advice and wear lenses as instructed by him. Some lenses are designed to be worn for a day while some can be worn for a week or month or even a year.
Your doctor will recommend those lenses that match your routine and lifestyle. Never wear lenses more than the prescribed time or past their expiry date.
Wearing contact lenses for too long can lead to the following problems –
- Red eyes – Wearing a lens for too long can reduce the oxygen flow to the eyes. This makes eyes red and irritated.
- Corneal abrasions – This happens from dry eyes or irritation caused by wearing contacts for too long.
- Corneal ulcers – These are open sores on the cornea that occur when abrasions get infected by bacteria. If not treated in time, it can require sight-saving corneal transplants.
3. Keep Lenses Clean
Your eye doctor will recommend how you should clean your lens. For example, if you are told of a specific solution, then you must use it every time you remove the lens, rub and rinse them and then place them into the fresh solution.
Don’t mix the new solution with the solution that is already in the case. When you wear the lenses in the morning, empty the lens case, wash and rinse it with fresh solution and leave it uncapped and upside down on a paper towel to air dry it.
The lens case should be replaced once at least every three months. If you are too lazy or too busy to clean the case every morning, you can ask your doctor for a daily disposable lens. These lenses can be thrown out every night after you have used them for a day and exchanged with a new, fresh pair every morning, eliminating the cleaning and maintenance stage.
4. Relax
Commonly, the first time contact lens wearers get scared and think of things like the lens will scratch their eyes or worse – will get stuck in them. Applying and removing lenses is weird and difficult only for the first time but as you get comfortable and used to it, you will feel like it’s the best decision that you ever made. You do not need to be afraid to touch your eye as long as your hands are cleaned and dried.
5. Always Have Backups
When you wear lenses, try to carry backup lenses, solution, and a carrying case with you. So, if you ever experience any problem, you can solve it.
6. If They Don’t Fit, They Aren’t It
If you feel irritated, hurt, stung, or burned in your eyes, it might be either because the lenses are not the perfect fit for you or there is something wrong with the lenses. Take out the lenses and check them for any rips or tears and ensure they are right side out.
If you see no damage, then clean the lens and insert them again. If you still experience any pain or irritation, then stop wearing them and visit your eye doctor.
7. Learn To Put The Lenses In the Right Way
This is probably every first-time contact lens wearer’s biggest question – how do you put them on? First and the most important thing that you need to do is to wash your hands and dry them to avoid any unwanted particles transferring into your eyes.
Then place the contact lens on the fingertip and check that the contact lens is right side up and makes a bowl-like figure. Use your hand to pull the upper eyelid up and lower eyelid down to prevent the eyes from blinking. Start moving the lens towards your eyes and look upwards.
Place the lens in the eye and release your eyelids. Close your eyes and rotate your eyes to help the contact lens settle.
Replicate the above process to insert lens in the other eye..
8. Contact Lenses Should Be Hydrated
The key to keeping high-prescription contacts comfortable is to keep them moist. Without moisture content, contacts can irritate your eyes. Even if you are assiduous towards hydrating the lenses, they can still dry out. If you use your eyes more like watching TV, reading on a computer, etc they can easily strain and dry out.
Always have a lens solution with you, so if in case any such situation arises you can solve it.
Wrapping Up
It is scary to wear contact lenses for the first time when you have to touch your eyes but it is better when you get used to them and are free from the burden of the heavy glasses.
