If you wear contacts you may be wondering what you can do to prevent your eyes from drying out this summer, so here are a few tips for contact lens wearers that will keep your eyes healthy and moist. I remember the day I found out I needed glasses, and although I was a dramatic teenager, I was literally devastated. My doctor then suggested contacts since I was so against wearing glasses, and looking like a typical awkward teenage nerd. But even then I had a hard time getting them in my eyes and maintaining healthy eye care habits. As the years went on, I learned a few tricks to help me get by in the heat and sun each summer. And as a result, I am more than happy to finally expose all these wonderful secrets to healthy eye care. So here they are 7 helpful sun tips for contact lens wearers!
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1. Wear Sunglasses
I know this seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how many people fail to put on sunglasses when the sun is out. And if you have experienced this firsthand, you will know it really hurts, especially if you wear contacts. So of all of the important tips for contact lens wearers that I have to share, I think this is one of the most important ones. Don’t forget those sunglasses, they prevent your eyes and contacts from drying out, not to mention they protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays of the sun. Leaving your eyes exposed in the sun for too long has been shown to worsen your vision and even harden your contacts when they dry out, which can really hurt. Believe me, I have been there! So don’t miss this opportunity to fashionably accessorize your summer outfits with a smashing pair of sunglasses. There are some great styles out this season so take advantage of them while you also protect your eyes- and contacts.
2. Get Daily Lenses
After really struggling with dry eyes and contacts, particularly in the summer, my doctor suggested daily contact lenses to me. So I think this little piece of advice needed to be on my list of tips for contact lens wearers, because not only are daily lenses more sanitary, but they’re disposable and always moist, which is just what you want during the summer. I personally love wearing Acuvue lenses but many other contact lens brands make “1-a-days,” so feel free to try them out. Think of it this way, you’ll never have to buy solution again and struggle with losing and maintaining those annoying little cases.
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3. Wear Your Glasses Every Now and then
So I’m the last person to ever tell you to wear glasses instead of contacts, but after I grew out of my obsessively vain teenage years and tried wearing my glasses every once in a while, I realized how much healthier my eyes felt. Wearing contacts every single day technically isn’t great for your eyes. And whenever my eye doctor gives me his tips for contact lens wearers, he always includes giving your eyes a break. If you think of eyeglasses as sunglasses, you can also accessorize them with outfits. Also, thanks to modern technology, you can even get those really cool ones that magically transition to sunglasses when sensing UV rays.
4. Do Not Sleep with Your Contacts in
So many of my friends sleep with their contacts in, sometimes for days at a time! And then they wonder why their eyes hurt so much and absolutely kill in the sunlight. As tempting as it is to take naps and just fall asleep without taking your contacts out, do not sleep with your contacts in. One of the many reasons why I love daily contacts is because you really don’t have to get up to take them out of your eyes; there’s no case, so you can just throw them out and go to sleep. Or better yet, if you’re taking a nap, just take out the pair you have in and put a new one in when you wake up. C’mon, this is so important when it comes to tips for contact lens wearers, do not be another ignorant consumer, or teenager for that matter. Take care of your eyes and contacts, and as a result, you will feel better, I can almost guarantee it.
5. Do Not Go in the Pool or Ocean with Your Contacts
Well, it’s brutally hot and summertime, and I know it’s so tempting to just leave your contacts in when you go swimming in the pool or ocean. But do yourself a favor and take them out. Contacts can almost seem like built in swimming goggles but after a few hours drying off in the sun, you will feel the sting of the chlorine. I don’t even think of this as one of the tips for contacts lens wearers, I think of it as almost as mandatory fact of eye care-especially if you don’t want your eyes and contacts to burn and sting in the summer sun!
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6. Do Not Take Showers with Your Contacts
This is another ridiculous thing that people do, and I think pure laziness is the overall cause of it. Take your contacts out! Showering with contacts in is just as bad as swimming underwater with them, if not worse, because you could potentially get shampoo, soap or conditioner in your eyes. And I think we can all agree that is not fun by any means. So add this to your list of tips for contact lens wearers if you want to avoid those terribly red eyes people get. Even if you can’t see that well, it’s not exactly like you will be reading a novel in the shower. Just throw on your glasses when you get out, there’s no reason to keep your contacts in.
7. Get Moistening Drops
I personally love Systane moistening drops, but many different brands make moistening drops for contact lenses. And believe it or not, even after I followed all these other tips for contact lens wearers, my eyes would still get dry from time to time. After finally using moistening drops, I hardly ever even felt my contacts in my eyes. Depending on your own lifestyle, like if you smoke cigarettes and drink, your eyes are definitely prone to dryness. These other tips might be enough, but in case they’re not, try some moistening drops and you will literally feel a difference. Moistening drops are also good if you accidentally shower or sleep with your contacts in. If that ever happens, just add a few drops and your eyes will most likely be back to normal.
Wearing contacts can either be the best thing that has ever happened to your eyes, or a royal pain. Are you a fan of wearing contacts? Can you think of any tips for contact lens wearers that should be included on this list but are not? How do you deal with wearing contacts in the bright summer sun? Please share your thoughts!
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