Wondering how you can maintain your eye health as a contact lens wearer? Don’t worry because we can help you there. Here are four tips you should follow to keep your eyes in excellent condition.
#1 Wash your hands.
Regular handwashing is one of the tenets of good hygiene, and it’s especially important if you wear contact lenses. You need to wash your hands before you put in your contact lenses and before you remove your contact lenses. Doing so helps prevent eye irritation, pain, and, most of all, infection.
Proper handwashing is easy as long as you remember these steps:
- Wet your hands under clean running water.
- Use antibacterial soap (unscented soaps are ideal) and rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds.
- Get rid of dirt from underneath your fingernails and any other area of your hands.
- Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of soap on your hands.
- Dry your hands using a clean hand towel or fresh paper towels.
Washing your hands often does more than protect your eyes. It also helps you avoid infectious diseases.
#2 Get your prescriptions online.
The possibility of COVID-19 infection makes going outside for doctor’s appointments risky. The great thing is that if you have vision problems, you don’t have to worry. Telehealth services have boomed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the eye care sector is no exception.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and offer patients better alternatives to physical visits, eye care websites, and ecommerce contact lens stores are now offering online vision tests. These tests are accurate, convenient, and completely safe since you do them at home. Licensed eye care professionals review online vision tests, which means you can get a valid prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Online vision tests are highly convenient. Without leaving your home, you can get your eyes checked, get a valid prescription, and purchase contact lenses that you’ll receive via courier.
#3 Practice healthy makeup habits.
Wearing makeup can be challenging for many people, but it’s even more challenging for contact lens wearers. This doesn’t have to be the case, though. If you want an easy and even enjoyable experience, practice these healthy makeup habits:
- Wash your hands.
Make sure you wash your hands before:
-
- Putting in your contact lenses
- Applying makeup
- Taking out your contact lenses
Proper handwashing eliminates bacteria from your hands that can transfer to your eyes and contact lenses, thereby preventing infections.
- Contact lenses come first.
Put in your contact lenses before you apply makeup and take out your contact lenses before you remove makeup. Following these two steps eliminates the risk of getting makeup or chemical residue on your fingers that will unavoidable transfer to your contact lenses and then to your eyes. Makeup and other chemicals will stain your contact lenses, cause blurry vision, and even result in serious infections.
- Choose the right products.
Here are several things you need to remember the next time you go makeup shopping:
- Hypoallergenic - Look for hypoallergenic products, which are those that are safe for people with allergies or sensitive skin.
- Oil-free - Oils in makeup can travel to your eyes and latch on to your contact lenses, clouding your vision and causing irritation. Avoid this with oil-free makeup.
- Cream-based - Unlike its powder-based counterpart, cream-based makeup isn’t made up of fine particles that can easily get into your eyes or contact lenses.
#4 Eat a nutritious diet.
Many people don’t think about the role that nutrition plays in eye health. Eating a nutritious diet gives you clear and crisp vision because consuming the right vitamins and minerals helps prevent eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, and glaucoma.
The best part about eating healthy is that it’s easy to do. Just follow these tips.
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables contain tons of vitamins and minerals that boost your immune system. Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables daily. Eat fruits rich in vitamin C like oranges, watermelon, and even chili peppers. Eat vegetables loaded in fiber such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and collard greens. Eat berries that are full of antioxidants including blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Vitamin C and antioxidants protect your eyes from oxidative stress.
- Consume whole foods.
The best source of vitamins and minerals are whole, unprocessed foods. Avoid canned meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables. These are already heavily processed and may contain preservatives or chemicals that your body doesn’t need.
In addition to that, try to avoid dietary supplements. While there is nothing wrong with consuming multivitamins and other supplements, they don’t accurately replicate the nutritional profile of whole foods. Whole foods contain micronutrients that are not found in dietary supplements.
Conclusion
You use your eyes every single day, so keeping them healthy is vital. The good news is that doing so is not as complicated as you might think, even if you wear contact lenses. You just have to remember to wash your hands before touching your contact lenses, take advantage of online eye exams, practice healthy makeup habits, and eat nutrient-rich foods.