Test Your Contact Lens Care: It’s the CDC’s Contact Lens Health Week

Contact Lens Health Week from the CDCStarting August 21, 2017, the CDC along with optical professionals around the country will celebrate Contact Lens Health Week. The unofficial holiday serves as a public service campaign. The CDC wants to help contact lens wearers remember some of the basics of contact lens health and safety.

In honor of this special week, here’s a quiz for you to take to see how well you are doing on taking care of your contact lenses. If you have any problems or questions caring for your lenses, call your closest America’s Best and the professionals there will assist you.

You can wear your contact lenses as long as you want until they start irritating your eyes.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False. Make sure you know what type of contact lenses you are wearing and follow the wear guidelines on those lenses specifically. (Though if your eyes feel bothered during recommended wear time, certainly remove the lenses.) Some lenses are designed for you to wear longer than others and not removing your lenses when their wear time is up could be very damaging to your eyes. In fact, studies show that sleeping in your contact lenses can increase your chances of eye infection by 6-8%. Make sure you talk to your optometrist if this is something you like to do.

You can use saline solution to clean your contact lenses?

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False. Saline solution is not the same as contact lens cleaner. Make sure you have saline on hand to clean your fingers or rinse off your lenses after cleaning, but never try to get by with just saline soaking your lenses. Saline won’t remove buildup, dirt, and calcium deposits that other cleaners remove.

Contact lenses wearers should get their eyes examined every year.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True. Contact lens wearers must get annual eye exams. Without this annual contact lens check-up, your contact lens prescription will expire. This check up is also vital to making sure your contacts are fitting well and your eyes are staying healthy, moist and that you can see clearly through your lenses.

It’s okay to put my contact lenses in if my eyes are a little red and I know it is just allergies.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False. If your eyes are red, play it safe and keep those lenses out for a day or so. Putting contact lenses in your eyes, even if you are just dry from seasonal allergies, won’t be comfortable anyway. Take a day off, use antihistamines or allergy medications, drink plenty of water, and try again when your eyes show no signs of redness.

For more information on healthy habits & healthy eyes, read more on our website.

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