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Video Tutorial – Insertion and Removal Of Your Contact Lenses

Here is a great video from Cooper Vision that is an in-depth tutorial for inserting and removing your contact lenses.

Some other helpful tips for successful contact lens wear include:

• Always wash and dry your hands before touching your contacts
• Always rub your lenses to clean them well after you wear them
• Remove your contact lenses immediately if they become uncomfortable
• Never insert a contact lens into an eye that is red, irritated or painful
• ALWAYS have a pair of back up spectacle eyeglasses and its a good idea to wear them in the beginning and the end of the day to give your eyes some “Open eye time” with no contact lenses on. Also its another good idea to wear your glasses 1-2 days a week to give your eyes a break from your contact lenses.
• Consult with your eye doctor before wearing your lenses overnight. The eye doctors at Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines, Davie and Sunrise always recommend to NOT sleep in your contact lenses due to the increased risk of infection and other eye health issues associated with sleeping in contact lenses.
• Replace your contacts with a new pair as often as recommended by your eye doctor. If the doctor says its a 2 week lens….then it gets tossed 2 weeks after you open the lens.

• Do not skip your follow up visits or your annual contact lens exam – there may be problems with your contacts that you are unaware of and your eye doctor will be able to determine this before you can see or feel that there may be something wrong.

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One Cause of Red Eye – Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

“I woke up this morning and my eye was really red – like there was blood on the white of my eye!”

This is a very frightening looking condition affecting patients.  They come in with a  red eye – like a bright red blood patch on the white of their eye –  but, there is no pain, discharge or blurriness to their vision.   Sometimes the eye may feel a little bit “scratchy” or irritated but, that is usually rare.  Sometimes they are caused by trauma to the eye but, most of the time they occur without any injury sustained to the eye – they just seem to appear “out of nowhere”.

It is called a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage – or “Subconj Heme” for short.  It is caused when one of the tiny blood vessels on the white of your eye ruptures and that tiny drop of blood gets trapped between the white of your eye (the sclera) and the clear skin that covers the sclera (called the conjunctiva).  Sometimes this blood vessel breakage can be caused by a strong cough, vomiting, lifting something heavy, constipation strain, a stong sneeze etc.  This “trapped” blood usually takes about 7-14 days to clear up.  It is sort of like a bruise under the skin (but here the “skin” is the clear conjunctiva)….first the color is red and bright then over time it may turn different colors over time and become a bit yellowish before it completely clears up.

If you are on a “blood thinning” medication – it can cause the blood vessel to take a longer time to stop bleeding and a small blood spot can quickly become a much larger one due to the delay in clotting.  Many times a patient may be taking aspirin, coumadin or warfarin (these are blood thinning oral medications) or some type of herbs that can cause cause blood thinning and bleeding risks like St John’s Wort, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Ginger and Ginkgo.  People with high blood pressure and/or diabetes can also be at higher risk for developing a “Subconj Heme”.

It is always a good idea to go to see your eye doctor if you have a red eye and think you may  have a subconjunctival hemorrhage.  Many red eyes look alike and the doctor can tell you if you really have a subconj heme or if the redness is being caused by an eye infection or other serious condition.  If it is a subconj heme then the doctor can determine if you need to be sent for further investigation of possible blood/bleeding disorders.

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Video: Contact Lens Tips for Insertion, Removal and Cleaning

This is a good video from Optifree that gives instructions on Contact Lens insertion, removal, proper cleaning and other instructions and tips for successful contact lens wear.

ALWAYS wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly each time you handle your contact lenses. This will help eliminate germs (bacteria, viruses, fungus etc) that can cause eye infections and vision loss.

Clean, Rinse and Disinfect your contact lenses after wearing them. Make sure that you DO rub your contact lenses (even if the solution says “No Rub”) – this will help in loosening any deposits, films or debris on your lenses.   Saline solutions are used to RINSE contact lenses (NOT to clean or store contacts) – use multipurpose solutions for cleaning and storing contacts.

Remove your lenses IMMEDIATELY if they become uncomfortable or your eyes become red and/or light sensitive. Discomfort and irritation can be an early warning sign of a problem.  If discomfort continues AFTER you remove your contact lenses – IMMEDIATELY contact your eye doctor.

DO NOT INSERT A CONTACT LENS INTO AN EYE THAT IS RED, IRRITATED, PAINFUL  OR UNCOMFORTABLE!!

Do NOT sleep in your contact lenses. People who sleep in their contact lenses have a higher risk of eye infections and ulcerations.

DISCARD your contact lenses as directed by your eye doctor (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc). Wearing a contact lens longer than the approved wear time can cause infections and corneal distortions (the front of the eye can become warped with contact lens overwear).

Do NOT swim, shower or bathe in your contacts.  Tap water and pools can have organisms in them that can cause infections an even PERMENANT vision loss.

Have YEARLY Contact Lens Eye Examinations. Your eye doctor can re-evaluate and re-fit (if needed) your contact lenses for you every 12 months.  Sometimes contact lenses feel comfortable even if they are causing problems.  Your eye doctor will evaluate if the prescription needs to be changed to get you the most precise vision and they will also evaluate if the contact lens that you are wearing is causing problems that you may be unaware of.

CLICK HERE for more information about Contact Lenses from Visionary Eyecare’s website.