How do contacts stay on your eye

DO make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly before putting in or removing your lenses. DO make sure to store contact lenses overnight in disinfecting solution. Saline is great for rinsing, but not for storing contact lenses. DO throw out the solution in your lens case after you put your lenses in your eyes. DO rinse your case with saline solution after you put in your lenses. DO replace your lens case every 3 months. DO keep your nails short to avoid scratching your eye.

If you have long nails, make sure to only use your fingertips to handle your lenses. Water can contain pathogens that have the potential to cause eye infections. What are the symptoms of an eye infection? The bottom line. Read this next. OD vs. Finally, those people who sleep in their lenses, risk a lens sticking to an eyelid. Not an ideal environment for a contact lens.

Avoid a dislodged lens by paying attention to the care instructions given to you by your optometrist. Keep calm. The thin, moist lining of your inner eye, called the conjunctiva , prevents a lost lens. The conjunctiva is a nifty little shield in your eye. It folds into the back portion of your eye, covering the white part of the eyeball. Nothing, not dirt, not an eyelash, and certainly not a contact lens gets past the conjunctiva.

And of course, you know what intense rubbing does, right? The first home remedy for a dislodged lens is rinsing. When you rinse the eye you add moisture. If these problems go on for too long, your eye will be at increased risk of eye infection and corneal ulcers open sores on the cornea.

Doctors say me that when they get a phone call from the ER for a patient with a bad eye infection or a possible corneal ulcer, the first question they ask is if the patient has been sleeping in his or her contact lenses.

Aside from being quite painful, these conditions can even get serious enough to cause permanent blindness. Not cleaning your contact lenses, or using the wrong solution or tap water to do so, can also lead to infection and ulcers. I will address all of these things in the rules below.

Your eye has a unique curvature. One contact lens does not fit all eyes, which is why you need to always have a full fitting with a professional to find a brand and style that matches the shape of your eye most comfortably.

It could be crazy cat-eyes for Halloween, or maybe you just want to change your eye color for a day. Instead, allow yourself an extra month before your costumed event and get a proper fitting from an eye doctor which usually includes several visits. Contact lenses are super-thin, nearly-invisible discs made out of plastic. Unlike eyeglasses, contact lenses sit directly on the cornea of the eye. They stick to the layer of tear fluid that coats the surface of the eye.

Pressure from the eyelid also helps to keep them in place. Contact lenses move with the eye , so they provide an experience closer to natural sight than eyeglasses do.

They work in much the same way as regular eyeglasses: their unique shape corrects refractive errors, such as nearsightedness called myopia and farsightedness called hyperopia , by helping the eye focus light directly on the retina.

If you've ever seen contact lenses, you know that they're much smaller and thinner than regular eyeglasses. Because contact lenses sit directly on the eye , their optic zone where their corrective power comes from can be much smaller than that of regular eyeglasses. Since eyeglasses sit a half-inch or more away from the eye , their optic zone must be much bigger.

For example, the optic zone of a pair of eyeglasses is the whole lens surface , whereas the optic zone of a pair of contact lenses is only a part of the lens. Think of it this way: if you stand right next to a window , you can see a large view outside. If you step away from the window , however, you need a bigger window to see the same view.

Since eyeglasses need to be much bigger to be effective, they also must be made thicker to keep from breaking. Contact lenses, on the other hand, can be made much smaller and also much thinner without affecting their corrective power. When contact lenses were first invented, they were made of a hard plastic that didn't absorb water.

Many people found these hard lenses to be uncomfortable, because they could irritate the eyes since they didn't allow oxygen to pass through the lens to the eye. Today, most contact lenses are made of soft plastic that's similar to a gel.

Soft contact lenses are more flexible and easier to wear. They also absorb water, which allows needed oxygen to reach the eye. Advances in science and technology have led to a wide variety of contact lenses on the market today. In addition to daily-wear lenses that are meant to be removed each night before bed, there are also extended-wear lenses that can be worn for several days to several weeks at a time. Many contact lenses available today are also disposable , so you just throw them away and put in a new pair when it's time to change them.

Contact lenses aren't necessarily for everyone, however. You should see an optometrist if you're interested in using contact lenses rather than regular eyeglasses.

Although millions of people wear contact lenses, they're not recommended for people with certain conditions, such as dry eye syndrome, diabetes , etc. We hope today's Wonder of the Day helped you to SEE how helpful contact lenses can be if you have vision problems!

Keep looking at the following activities with a friend or family member:. I have been wearing contact lenses for years now and I love them! Sometimes they hurt my eyes in the morning if I didn't get a lot of sleep but for the most part, they are wonderful.

I don't like how glasses look on me so these are a nice alternative to let me see still but feel comfortable. Thanks for sharing your connection with us, Pam!