Contents:
- Medical Video: What Happens When You Sleep In Your Contact Lenses
- A safe guide to using contact lenses for dry eyes
- 1. Make sure your hands are clean before using contact lenses
- 2. Remove contact lenses before going to bed
- 3. Use disposable contact lenses
- 4. Clean the contact lens every time you use it
- 5. Use eye drops as often as possible
- 6. Avoid wearing contact lenses for a long time
- 7. Regularly check with the eye doctor
Medical Video: What Happens When You Sleep In Your Contact Lenses
Many people with dry eyes avoid using contact lenses (contact lenses). It feels awry, if you don't use contact lenses, your vision will run away, but if you use contact lenses, worry about the pain, itching, and redness in the eyes will get worse. So, is there a right solution if you want to keep using contact lenses for dry eyes?
A safe guide to using contact lenses for dry eyes
Dry eyes occur when the production of tears, which should be tasked to moisturize all parts of the eye, instead does not function optimally. For those of you who have this condition, you may feel doubt when you want to wear contact lenses.
Indeed, how to use and care for contact lenses that are less precise can actually worsen dry eyes. In fact, it can increase the risk of infection, making you uncomfortable.
However, Alisha Fleming, O.D., an eye specialist at Penn Medicine in the United States, said that you can still use contact lenses for dry eyes, really. Provided that you want to implement safe rules, including:
1. Make sure your hands are clean before using contact lenses
This rule must actually be applied by all contact lens users. The reason is, directly holding and wearing contact lenses without washing hands can first run the risk of moving pathogens that cause infection from the fingers to contact lenses, then end up in your eyes.
The key, make it a habit to always wash your hands with soap then rinse with running water until it's clean. Then dry all parts of your hands before you use contact lenses.
2. Remove contact lenses before going to bed
Sleeping habits still wearing contact lenses can damage the production of natural tears that should lubricate all parts of the eye. As a result, your dry eyes will feel worse.
Not only that, Nicky Lai, O.D., an eye health specialist at The Ohio State University, explained that often forget to remove contact lenses when going to sleep can endanger the cornea which is the outermost protective layer.
The reason, because the amount of oxygen that enters the eye during sleep is not as much compared to when the eyes open.
3. Use disposable contact lenses
There are two types of contact lenses that are commonly on the market, namely those that can be used for several months and disposable contact lenses. Well, contact lenses for dry eyes are the most recommended ones that should not be used for a long time. It would be better if you choose disposable contact lenses.
Why? Because contact lenses that have been used for a long time there is a lot of dirt that builds up in it, making it difficult for tears to spread evenly throughout your eye area, revealed Vivian Shibayama, OD, an ophthalmologist at UCLA Health, California.
4. Clean the contact lens every time you use it
Not only contact lenses that you have to keep clean, but also a place to store contact lenses. Do this regularly every time you use contact lenses, or even every day to ensure cleanliness.
The rule is, after the contact lens is used to the eye, the contact lens container must be rinsed using a solution or contact lens cleaner. Then leave it to dry or wipe with clean tissue. All of these steps can minimize the possibility of inflammation and infections that cause eye problems.
5. Use eye drops as often as possible
Eye drops are one of the things that must be owned by people with dry eyes. Tear production that is not able to lubricate the eyes properly, can be helped by the presence of artificial tears from eye drops.
Tears have an important role as eye protection from germs while maintaining overall eye health. That is why, the amount of tears that are not sufficient for dry eye sufferers not only creates discomfort, but also increases the risk of infection.
6. Avoid wearing contact lenses for a long time
Contact lenses are not designed to be used for a long time, especially until a full day. Ideally, normal eyes can use contact lenses for at least 10 hours a day. But if you have dry eyes, then the time to use contact lenses automatically will be shorter.
Dr. Shibayama also added this, according to him should give space for the eyes to be able to breathe freely for several hours a day. That is, set aside some of your time in a day without using contact lenses. The goal is to allow the eyes to get enough oxygen and nutrients from water produced naturally by the eyes, without having to be obstructed by contact lenses.
7. Regularly check with the eye doctor
Follow the eye doctor's check-up schedule, even though your dry eye symptoms have started to improve. Especially for you contact lens users, usually the doctor will check the entire eye while prescribing new eye drops according to eye conditions. You can also consult about complaints that may have been experienced while using contact lenses for dry eyes.
