5 Things that Can Damage a Contact Lens

Contact lenses in Australia are fairly delicate and should be handled with care. While they’re designed to be fairly resilient, they can be damaged if you don’t understand how to hold them or place them on your eye. Thankfully, lens care isn’t that difficult and you will quickly understand how to use the lenses without the risk of damage. Here’s a list of things that can easily damage the lenses and should be avoided.

• Debris- Dirt and debris are some of the most common causes of lens damage and can leave scratches and even tears on them. Many contact lens users don’t look at the lenses carefully before they handle them or clean them. When they rub the lenses to clean them, they unintentionally rub debris on the surface and cause scratches. The best way to avoid this is to take the steps listed below:

• oRinse the lens in multipurpose solution
• oCheck for lint or debris
• oPlace it at the centre of your palm and soak it is multipurpose solution again
• oRub the soaking lens gently
• oRinse again and place the lens on your iris

• Dryness- Lenses are meant to have a specific amount of moisture content in them. This ensures they’ll be comfortable for the user. As the moisture evaporates from the lens, it starts to shrink and become less comfortable. If the lenses lose too much moisture, they become dry and hard, which can compromise their integrity and damage them. It might be possible for them to soak up moisture once again, but they won’t be as comfortable as they had been before. Seasoned contact lens users don’t bother soaking them again and open a new pack.

• Fall- Contact lenses do require a certain amount of dexterity to handle so it’s not uncommon for people to drop their lenses. It’s always a good idea to sit by a desk and mirror, place a lint-free towel on the desk, and then apply the lens. If it falls, it’ll fall on the towel and not on the dirty floor. If it does fall on the floor, you need to pick it up very carefully. As we mentioned before, dirt and debris can scratch delicate contact lenses in Australia. We don’t recommend using lenses that have come in contact with the floor.

• Rough Handling - Rough handling can easily tear the lenses or cause them to warp. You need to use the lightest possible pressure to handle the lenses. You should try not to pull or pinch them as that would damage their integrity.

• Nails- It’s very difficult to handle contact lenses with long nails and it can be dangerous as well. After all, you don’t want to poke your eye with your long nails. They can get scratched and torn because of sharp, long nails so it’s a good idea to keep them short, especially if you wear contact lenses in Australia daily.

If you keep these things in mind, you’ll be able to handle contact lenses safety and avoid causing damage as much as possible.