Making the switch from glasses to contact lens can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience!
As someone who has always been kind of squeamish about my eyes, I was sure it was something I would never do. However, after a particularly vicious bout of shingles in the eye damaged my vision - I decided to take the leap and I've discovered that there are lots of advantages to contact lens use.
Here are my tips for making the change.
1) Stay Calm
As obvious as it sounds, calmness is key when it comes to your first few times of putting in and removing your lenses. I used to worry a lot about scratching my eye or even losing the lens somehow but a little knowledge goes a long way - did you know that your eyelid is connected to your eyeball? This means you can't actually lose your lens in some sort of eyeball abyss! It's just not possible.
The most important thing is to make sure your hands are clean - there's nothing else to worry about.
2) Stay Hydrated
Of course this is important for everybody regardless of whether or not you wear contacts, but keeping your eyes moist will help to make your lens wearing experience much more comfortable and straight forward.
You can also use eye drops to help with this, which can be particularly useful if you spend a lot of time working on screens or in dry environments - do check that the drops you use are compatible with your lenses first though.
3) Research Your Options
As with most things in life, there are options to suit all needs and budgets when it comes to contact lens wearing.
Monthly disposable contact subscriptions are great for offering a lower cost option, as well as being stronger, more durable, easier on sensitive eyes and creating less waste and taking the fuss out of the process - you can find out more about them here: https://www.contactlenses.co.uk/contact-lenses/monthly-disposable
4) Keep Your Lenses Clean
Your provider will give you instructions on how to care for your lenses so be sure to follow this to the letter in order to keep your lens in top condition. If you're advised to use a multi purpose solution for cleaning then be sure to use fresh for each clean and don't forget to clean out the lens case daily too. This should also be replaced every month.
5) Stick To The Schedule
As tempting as it can be, it's important to ensure that you use your lenses only as directed by your eye care provider - don't try to squeeze an extra weeks use out of your lenses as this can be damaging, and also be sure not to sleep in your contacts unless they're prescribed as continuous wear.
As with anything in life, getting used to using contact lenses can take time and practice but it will become second nature before you know it and you'll never look back! Good Luck!
