Contact lenses are a convenient way to correct your vision, but they need proper care to stay safe and comfortable. Millions of people wear them every day without any issues, but small mistakes in handling and cleaning can lead to irritation or infection. Here are some simple tips to help you wear your lenses safely.
Wash Your Hands First
Before you touch your lenses, always wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them with a clean towel. Your hands pick up bacteria and dirt throughout the day, and any of this can transfer straight onto your lenses and into your eyes. This one habit makes a bigger difference than most people realize.
Never Use Tap Water on Your Lenses
Tap water, bottled water, and even saliva should never touch your contact lenses. Water can carry microorganisms that cause serious eye infections, including a rare but severe type called Acanthamoeba keratitis. Health officials have linked outbreaks of this infection directly to contact lens use and have urged wearers to keep water away from their lenses at all times. Always use a proper contact lens solution to clean and store your lenses instead.
Clean and Store Lenses Properly
Each time you take your lenses out, rub them gently with fresh contact lens solution and rinse before placing them in a clean case. Never reuse old solution or top off the case with a small amount of new solution on top of the old. Health guidance recommends discarding used solution and replacing it with fresh solution every day. It’s also worth noting that experts suggest swapping your lens case out for a new one every three months, since old cases can build up bacteria over time even with regular cleaning. PubMed
Follow Your Replacement Schedule
Whether you wear daily, two week, or monthly lenses, stick to the schedule your eye doctor gives you. Wearing lenses longer than recommended raises your risk of discomfort and infection. Studies have found that people who don’t follow their recommended lens and case replacement schedule report more complications and discomfort than those who do.
Avoid Sleeping in Your Lenses
Unless your eye doctor has specifically approved your lenses for overnight wear, take them out before bed. Sleeping in lenses raises the risk of eye infection, even though the exact reason isn’t fully understood. Giving your eyes a break overnight allows them to breathe and stay healthy.
Don’t Swim or Shower in Your Lenses
Pools, lakes, hot tubs, and even your shower can expose your lenses to bacteria and parasites found in water. If you do get water on your lenses by accident, take them out, clean them with solution, and let your eyes rest before putting in a fresh pair.
Sharing contact lenses, even with a close friend or family member, spreads bacteria and increases the chance of infection. Lenses are fitted to your eyes specifically, so sharing isn’t safe under any circumstance.
Keep Up With Eye Exams
Routine visits to your eye doctor help catch any problems early and make sure your prescription is still accurate. Skipping checkups is one of the most common risk behaviors among lens wearers, especially younger ones, so try to stick to your scheduled visits.
Watch for Warning Signs
If your eyes feel unusually dry, red, itchy, or painful, take your lenses out right away and contact your eye doctor. About a third of contact lens wearers report having had a red or painful eye related to their lenses serious enough to require a doctor’s visit, so don’t ignore these symptoms if they come up.
The Bottom Line
Good contact lens hygiene doesn’t take much extra time, but it makes a real difference in keeping your eyes healthy. Wash your hands, use fresh contact lens solution every time, replace your lenses and case on schedule, and avoid water exposure. These small habits go a long way toward comfortable, safe vision correction.