Factsheets Wearing Contact lenses: Hygiene and Safety

Introduction

This factsheet will consider the support people will need once they become regular contact lens wearers.  It gives advice about how to look after your contact lenses and your eyes and discusses some of the problems regular contact lens wearers may face.

Contact Lens Hygiene

• The eye care professional will stress the importance of people developing a routine for cleaning lenses (hygiene and care of lenses) which must be followed at all times. 
• The person and their carer or supporter will need to learn how to clean lenses.
• There are different cleaning systems.  Some people may need a prescribed lens cleaner (not bought over the counter at a chemist).  They may also need a separate disinfectant.  There are no specific rules about who pays for these liquids; hospitals have different procedures.
• The eye care professional will also explain the need for people to develop a system so they know what to do if they get grit in their eyes in the street and their eyes stream with tears.

Getting used to wearing lenses

• Wearing time can be as little as a few minutes each day. This can increase over a period of weeks or months.  Over this time the cornea gets used to the contact lens and comfort improves.
• Wearing time must be increased in comfortable environments - without draughts, air-conditioning, dust, smoke and so on.

Developing a routine for contact lenses

Many experienced wearers of contact lenses have developed a routine that they strictly adhere to for inserting and removing lenses.  Keeping to a well-established routine reduces the possibility of damaging or losing the lenses.

People with supporters or carer s may need to ensure that they have guidelines and training.

Potential problems and risks with contact lenses

Prescribing

To prescribe effectively the dispenser will usually expect the person to provide a degree of verbal feedback regarding comfort of lenses and their effectiveness.

Discomfort

Lenses (especially hard lenses) cause discomfort and are uncomfortable to wear for the first few weeks.

Losing them in and out of the eye

• Inserting and removing lenses from the eye requires a steady hand.  They are easily dropped!
• Handling lenses requires good hand-eye co-ordination.  Lenses need to be placed on the correct part of the eye to get the most out of wearing them.
• Lenses can fall out and, being small, they may be hard to find.  They need to be cleaned every time before they are re-inserted (if it is appropriate to re-insert them). 
• Lenses may get stuck in the eye, disappear under the top eyelid and be hard to retrieve.  If this happens, ask the person to look down and inwards.  If this fails, contact the optician or GP.

Hygiene

• Eye infections can be caused by careless habits. 
• Strict hand, fingernail and eyelid cleanliness while handling lenses is important.  There is an increased risk of infection or inflammation of the cornea.
• Eye rubbing with a lens in place could cause damage to the cornea.  This could result in infection if hand hygiene is poor.
• Lenses must be kept clean.
• Lens cleaning routines must be adhered to.
• There should be agreement about who is responsible for ensuring the service user has a constant supply of prescribed cleaning solution.
• Support workers must ensure if helping clean lenses that their hands are clean, also to be aware if they recently handled spicy food, or are smokers; that this can cause extreme discomfort if the eye is touched.

Weather

Gusts of wind, dust and tiny foreign bodies (which may be hard to see) can become unbearably uncomfortable (causing gritty sensations or pain) and may necessitate the removal and cleaning of lenses, sometimes in strange places!

Air-conditioning

Air-conditioning may make contact lenses uncomfortable if the air is dry, especially during air travel.

Allergies

Severe hay fever and allergies may make it impossible to wear lenses at certain times of the year.  It may be possible for a GP or ophthalmologist to prescribe anti-allergy eye drops (not ordinary antihistamines bought over the counter.

Dry eyes

Dry eyes as a result of women's menstrual cycle, the menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may reduce the time for which lenses can be worn.

Wearing glasses instead of lenses

There are occasions when it is safer or more appropriate for people to wear glasses instead of contact lenses.

June 2009 

Related Information:

The Need for an Eye Examination

Eye Drops for People with Learning Disabilities

Keratoconus

Treatments and Interventions for Keratoconus 2

Treatments and Interventions for Keratoconus 3