Matches, Firewood and Contact Lens Drops for a Cozy Winter Evening

Yesterday was one of my favorite kind of winter days. The snow was falling. The temperature was below freezing and I had absolutely no where I needed to go. So, I did my favorite winter activity: sitting on the couch, under a blanket, watching a great movie with a roaring fire ablaze in our fireplace.

But, within a few hours I noticed something. The movie screen kept going out of focus. I tried to look outside frequently to see if maybe my eyes were just fatigued. But, that didn’t seem to be it. Instead, it just felt like my contact lenses were dry. I looked at our lovely fire and then something clicked…

That’s right…smoke dries out contact lenses!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not likely to stop wearing my lenses around fire anytime soon. I just forgot that in addition to matches, firewood, and maybe some starter…we contact lens wearers need to always have some lens drops on hand for a more pleasant by-the-fire experience!

Here are a few other tips if smoke does get in your eyes:

1. Clean your lenses as soon as possible.
A few weeks ago we spent some time with good friends around a campfire. When the wind blew that smoke my direction, I knew my eyes may suffer. Although they felt fine when we left, I knew that particles from the smoke had likely attached to my lenses. So, as soon as we got home I removed them, cleaned them, and put them in the disinfectant over night. I also inspected my lenses the next morning just to make sure that they looked clean before I put them in my eyes.

2. Blink, blink, blink.
If you feel smoke go into your eyes and you experience any kind of pain it’s best not to rub. You don’t want to accidentally scratch your eyeball if something got in there that was big enough to leave a mark. It’s best just to keep blinking as hard as you can and try to trigger those tears to come and cleanse out anything foreign that may have snuck into your eye in the smoke.

3. Rewet and rest.
If you are constantly around fires or in an indoor or outdoor climate that feels very dry on your eyes, then start using the rewetting drops as soon as you put your lenses in each morning. But, if they aren’t doing the trick, it may be time to give your lenses a day off and wear those fashion glasses that have been hiding out in their case for too long.

As always, if you should feel any continued amount of discomfort from your contact lenses, see your optometrist at your nearest America’s Best retailer right away.

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