Coronavirus and Contact Lenses

There was some speculation at the start of the pandemic as to whether wearing contact lenses was safe, due to the spread of the virus.

The College of Optometrists have confirmed that there is no evidence to suggest there is a correlation between the spread of coronavirus and wearing contact lenses. For full time contact lens wearers this means you can continue to wear lenses safely, without needing to switch back to spectacles.

Although it is completely safe to wear your contact lenses in the current climate, it is incredibly important to maintain your wear lens schedule and hygiene to help prevent any eye infections and anterior eye conditions.

These are our best practices for maintaining your lens and eye health and hygiene.

Wash and dry your hands thoroughly

Always make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly before touching your contact lenses or your eyes. Ensuring you hands a clean before handling lenses will make sure no bacteria is transferred from your hands to your contacts.

Stick to your wear schedule

Contact lenses are chosen depending on the need of the user. There are many different types of lenses based on your needs which can be worn for different time frames. Stick to the wear schedule of the lenses your optometrist has advised for you and dispose of lenses at the end of this time frame.

Clean and store lenses in fresh solution

Contact lenses that can be reused need cleaning and storing correctly in fresh solution each day. Cleaning your lenses after each day helps to remove anything that may have got stuck to them throughout the day. Cleaning the storage container is also important but remember to only use the solution and not water.

Use the products recommended by your optometrist

Contact lenses are different, some can be worn for longer periods of time than others or are made from slightly different materials. It is best to use the contact lens solutions, and additional products such as eye drops advised by your optometrist to ensure they are right for your lenses.

Contact lenses and water don’t mix

Before encountering water, it is important to remove your contact lenses. There are certain types of bacteria in water that can cause quite nasty eye infections. While wearing contact lenses in water, these bacteria can become trapped underneath the contact lens. This then allows the bacteria to get into the eye, causing infection. Whilst these types of infection are rare, the risk of infection is greater when wearing contact lenses.

Keep up to date with appointments

Now our practices are open again, it is important that you continue to keep up to date with your contact lens aftercare appointments. These appointments not only check your prescription is up to date, but also that the surface of your eyes are healthy.

For more information about contact lenses, your aftercare appointments and contact lens products contact your local MKO.