Caring for Contacts

One of our specialties at Rochester Eye and Laser Center is prescribing and fitting patients for contact lenses, which can provide improved vision for those who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism.

More than 30 million Americans wear contact lenses, and according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost one million of them a year visit their eye doctors for eye infections caused by improper contact lens care. The condition is called keratitis, which occurs when the cornea becomes infected with fungi, bacteria, or other microbes, leading to pain, inflammation, scarring, and vision disturbances – possibly including blindness.

If you are considering using contact lenses to correct your vision, you must understand the proper hygiene to avoid eye infections. Think about it. Contact lenses directly touch-sensitive eye tissue, and if you don’t wear or care for them properly, you are at risk of an eye infection.

Follow these common-sense tips when using contacts:

• Wash your hands. Ensure that you have super clean hands before touching contacts in or out of your eyes.
• Never clean contacts with tap water or saliva. Your mouth and tap water contain millions of bacteria and microorganisms that can lead to serious infections.
• Use fresh (and the proper) disinfecting solution every time. Some types of bacteria can live in the cleaning solution for over 4 hours.
• Clean your case with the proper solution. Dry it before using and replace the case every three months.  
• Remove contact lenses prior to sleep (unless approved by your doctor).
• Do not swim or shower in contact lenses.
• Have a pair of glasses on hand. You never know when you might need to remove your contacts.

So if you love your contact lenses and are happy without glasses, spend the time you need to care for and wear them the right way. Contact lens care is not the place to rush or cut corners. And if contact lens care starts to feel like a burden, and you don’t want to go back to glasses, maybe LASIK vision correction is something to consider.

If you are curious about LASIK, Rochester Eye and Laser Center may help you achieve 20/20 vision and leave the inconveniences of contacts and glasses behind. Our LASIK Team and, Dr. Culliton, will help you decide and evaluate if you are a good candidate for LASIK. Our founder and Ophthalmologist, Kenneth Lindahl will perform the procedure.

Schedule a free LASIK Consultation now, and you could be on your way to a contact lens-free life -- and a reduced risk of eye infections. Call 585-232-2560 or visit rochestereyecenter.com to learn more.