Contact Lenses

Almost everyone wears contact lenses these days. In fact, you can't really tell who is and who isn't and some do not even wear them for vision correction.

Athletes wear specific ones to have sharper vision while celebrities and Halloween enthusiasts wear coloured ones to go with matching outfits. They are ideal for people who have myopia (short-sightedness) or hyperopia (long-sightedness) where those affected are unable to focus light directly on the retina.

How do contact lenses stay comfortable, one might ask? Lubrication to the cornea is emitted by your eyes when you blink, which helps flush away any impurities that may be stuck to the lenses.

Resources taken from Guardian - the one you trust.

Quick Tips for Lens Care

Here are some quick tips on how to care for your lenses, for those of you in a rush!

• Thoroughly wash and rinse your hands with soap and rinse them until there is no soapy feeling left before handling your contact lenses.

• Always apply and remove your lenses one at a time in the same manner, to avoid mixing them up.

• Never use anything to clean your lenses except for the recommended multipurpose solutions.

• Clean and disinfect your lenses every time you remove them.

• Keep your multipurpose solution bottles tightly capped when not in use.

• Make sure the tips of your solution bottles never touch any other surface besides the cap (that includes your fingers, eyes or lenses.)

• Always throw away expired multipurpose solutions.

• Never try to scrimp on multipurpose solution by re-using them.

• Never ever share your lenses!

• Rinse your lens storage containers with multipurpose solution everyday and let it air-dry.

• Don't wear your lenses when you're going anywhere near irritating fumes or vapours.

• Never swim or soak in a tub when you have your lenses on.

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust.

Types And Purposes of Contact Lenses

A. Soft Contact Lenses
Soft Contact lenses are the most popular amongst the majority these days. It is made of flexible plastic that allows oxygen to pass through the cornea. It is more comfortable and easily adjusted compared to rigid gas permeable lenses. Nowadays, they are made of silicone-hydrogels to provide more oxygen flow.

B. Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lenses
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGPs) take some time for a wearer to get used to due to its rigid nature. However, they are more durable and resistant to deposit buildup, and generally give a clearer, crisper vision. They tend to be less expensive over the life of the lens since they last longer than soft contact lenses.

C. Extended Wear Contact Lenses
Extended wear contact lenses are usually soft contact lenses. They are meant to be worn overnight or continuously wear ranging from one to six nights or up to 30 days. Your eye care professional will first evaluate your tolerance level and he or she will determine the suitable duration to wear.

D. Disposable (Replacement Schedule Contact Lenses)
People obviously treasure convenience; therefore it comes as no surprise that the most popular contact lenses are the disposables. They need not be cleaned and disinfected as compared to regular ones, hence the advantage of complete convenience.

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust.

Coloured Contact Lenses

There are 4 different types of coloured contact lenses:
opaque colour tints, light-filtering tints, visibility tints and enhancement tints.

They work just like ordinary ones including correcting astigmatism where rays of light could not converge into a single focal point onto the retina.

Visibility Tints
Visibility tints are usually blue or green in colour and you can easily distinguish them from gravels once on the ground. It is a very light tint and does not affect eye colour.

Enhancement Tint
As the name implies, enhancement tints can change the colour of your eyes. They are meant for people who have light coloured eyes. They are solid and a bit darker than visibility tints.

Coloured Tints
Colured contact lenses come in a variety of colours: hazel, green, blue, violet, amethyst and grey. Due to the popularity of naturalness, coloured tints manufacturers have replicated the coloured portion of the eye. Since this area is made up of a series of colourful shapes and lines, the tiny coloured dots ont he lens blends in with the eye. The center of the lens, the part over your pupil, is clear so you can see.

Light-Filtering Tint
Seeing your target is absolutely crucial in sports. Quick reflexes are needed to manipulate a tennis ball with your racquet or dodging a jab from a boxer, and they all start from having good eyesight. To help you focus so that your target stands out from the background colour, light-filtering tints are used. They enhance certain colours (such as optic yellow, the colour of tennis balls, softballs and golf balls), while muting other colours.

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust.

Wearing Lenses Properly

Contact lenses are great substitutes to glasses which tend to fog easily and be misplaced like our wallet/purse and hand phone. However, cleanliness is vital towards maintaining hassle-free, comfortable wear.

Below are some proposed steps:

1. Wash your hands to remove any germs and dry them with a clean hand towel.
2. Always apply and remove your lenses one at a time in the same order to avoid mix-ups. For example, always remove your left lens from the storage case first.
3. Rinse your lens with the recommended solution to remove traces of debris.
4. Place the lens with the recommended solution to remove traces of debris.
5. Place the lens on the tips of your index finger.
6. Use your other hand to hold up your upper lid and hold down your lower lid. This stops you from blinking.
7. Look upwards and gently place the lens on the lower white part of your eye.
8. Slowly release your eyelids, and shut your eye for a while.
9. Blink a few times to center the lens on your eye.
10. If you feel any sort of discomfort in your eye, remove your lens and inspect it for any scratches or damages. If it is damaged, throw it away. If not, rinse with more solution and reapply.
11. Apply the right lens using the same method as above.

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust.

Steps to Properly Remove Contact Lenses

1. Clean your hands with soap and dry them with a clean hand towel.
2. Remember that you ALWAYS have to work from left to right to avoid confusion.
3. Look upwards and pull down your lower eyelid.
4. Use you index finger to touch the lower edge of the lens.
5. Slide the lens down to the lower part of the eye.
6. Squeeze the lens gently between your thumb and index finger and remove it.
7. Remove the right lens using the same procedure.

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust.

Do's and Don'ts of Lens Care With Makeup

If you're used to wear makeup and you're starting to wear contact lenses, you'll need to make a few adjustments to your makeup routine so that you don't accidentally damage your lenses with makeup.

Making yourself look good, whether it's your skin, hair or even your eyes, usually just comes down to the basic rule: keep it clean.

However, there might be some tricks to keep your eyes and lenses clean that you haven't considered.

Do's

• Throughly clean your hands before applying your lenses. Even residue from moisturisers or cleansers can cause various problems to your eyes and lenses, so wash up!
• Make sure your lenses are applied before your makeup.
• Slowly apply your eye shadow and eyeliner. Rushing to do the job might cause you to accidentally damage your lenses.
• Make sure you use only oil and fragrance-free eye makeup.
• Prevent your mascara and eyeliner from getting into your lenses by using only water-resistant mascara and eyeliner.
• Replace your mascara every month and your eyeliner every three months.
• Always remove your lenses before removing your eye makeup.
• Never leave eye makeup on for more than a day because the residue could get into your eyes and stick on your lenses.
• Use an oil-free hypoallergenic makeup remover

Don'ts

• Do not wear your lenses or apply makeup on your eyes if they're swollen, red or infected.
• Do not share your makeup with anyone else.
• Do not share your contact lenses (extremely unhygienic!).
• Do not apply eyeliner inside of your lashes.
• Do not expose your makeup to extreme temperature because it will alter the chemical composition.
• Do not wear your lenses to the hair stylist (hair spray and fumes can damage your lenses)

Resources taken from Guardian - The one you trust