I’ve never worn contact lenses before, how do I start?
First you need to have a current eye exam so that we know your eyes are healthy, as well as, your prescription. Then you need to have a new contact lens fitting, which involves having the doctor measure the shape of your eye and choose the contact lenses that are best for you. You will be trained how to put the contacts in and out of your eyes, as well as how to clean and care for the contact lenses. The doctor will evaluate the fit of the contacts and if everything is fine, you wear the contacts home. If you are happy with wearing contact lenses after you have worn them for a while, you can order a six month or yearly supply.

Why use disposable contact lenses?
Most people are fortunate to be able to use disposable contact lenses because they are healthier than conventional contacts. Conventional contacts refers to a soft lens that you keep for a year.

Disposable contact lenses are either worn for a single day, or two weeks, a month, or two months before they are thrown away. The disposable contacts allow more oxygen to transfer through the lens to your eye and they are easier to keep clean. Both these features make the disposable contacts healthier and more comfortable than conventional contacts.

What is the difference between soft and hard contact lenses?
Today most people use soft contacts as they are the most comfortable initially. They are also easy to care for and can be used to correct almost all prescriptions.

Hard lenses are also called rigid gas permeable or RGP. They are custom made to the shape and power of your eye. It often takes about a week to become completely comfortable with your first pair of RGPs. They are very healthy and give good vision. These lenses are usually recommended for people who are very nearsighted.

How do I know when to throw away my contact lenses?
Your optometrist will tell you how long you can wear your contact lenses. That length of time is determined by the contact lens material, the cleaning system and your tears. The contacts should still feel good at the time you are to dispose of them. If they feel bad, you have worn them too long and your eyelids and cornea are being irritated by the debris on the contacts. As you wear the contacts there is a film of protein and lipids from your tears that gets deposited on the lens. This film reduces the amount of oxygen that can get through the contact lens to your eye and that is why you need to throw away your lenses according to the schedule.

Can I sleep in my contacts?
Most contact lenses do not let enough oxygen through them to allow you to sleep in them. This is because the eye receives less oxygen when the eye lids are closed. However, silicone contact lenses such as Pure Vision can be worn while sleeping because they allow five times more oxygen transmission compared to ordinary soft contact lenses. Pure Vision contacts are designed to be worn continuously for one month and then replaced with a new contact lens.

Can I swim in my contacts?
It is best not to wear contact lenses while swimming as your risk of an infection becomes much higher. The contact lens also absorbs chlorine and your eye will be exposed to the chlorine for many days afterwards. If you do choose to wear contacts while swimming, you should wear swim goggles and use a daily disposable contact lens which you throw away after swimming.

Do my contacts block UV rays?
Some soft contact lenses block ultraviolet rays, and others do not. You should ask your optometrist, or check on the box to see if it says that the contacts are UV blocking. When contacts do block ultraviolet rays, they do not stop the glare or brightness of the sun and so you may still choose to wear sunglasses over top of your contact lenses.

How do I clean my contacts?
To properly clean a contact lens, you remove it from your eye, place it in the palm of your hand with a few drops of solution. Gently rub the contact with one finger against the palm of your hand for approximately 10 seconds. This removes any protein and other particles that have become attached to your lens while you were wearing it. Next put the contact lens in the case and fill the well with solution. Contact lens cases are designed to hold exactly the amount of solution required to disinfect one contact over a period of 6 to 8 hours. Repeat the procedure with the second contact lens. It is best to always start with the same eye so that you can keep track of which lens is for the right eye and which is for the left eye. In the morning, remove the contact lens from the case and insert it into your eye. Empty the case and leave it to dry until needed again. Your contact lens case should be washed once a month. Simply use hot soapy water, rinse with water and then rinse with contact lens cleaner.

What is the best contact lens cleaning solution to use?
For soft contact lenses the best cleaning system is Clear Care. It is a peroxide based cleaner which disinfects much better than solutions that use soaps.

For RGP contact lenses the best cleaning system is Boston. This involves a cleaner, a conditioner and use of an enzyme cleaner weekly.

What’s up with No-Rub contact lens cleaners?
You may notice that some of the MPS solutions now say “No Rub”. This was given FDA approval with the instructions being that instead of rubbing the contact lens, you squirt a steady stream of solution at the lens for 10 seconds on each side. You will find that it is faster, more effective at cleaning and less expensive to simply rub the contact lens.