Safety Tips | Cleaning and Storage | Tips for New Users

General Safety Tips

Here are a few simple safety measures which you can follow to protect your eyes and provide for long-term, problem-free contact lens wear:

• Most cosmetic contact lenses can be worn for up to 8 hours a day, for up to 90 days, unless specified otherwise.
• Make sure you wash your hands before inserting or removing your contact lenses.
• Always rinse your contact lenses with the cleaning solution before putting them in your eyes.
• At the end of each day, always clean the contact lenses with a proper cleaning solution to prevent infection and to cleanse it of protein enzyme deposits.
• Never sleep while wearing your contact lenses, since this can dry the eyes and cause irritation.
• Never borrow or lend your contact lenses to anybody else.
• Never swim while wearing your contact lenses, since you can lose your lenses or they can become contaminated.
• If your contact lens gets torn or damaged, discontinue use and replace it immediately.

Cleaning and Storage

Before you open your new package of contact lenses and begin using them, it is important that you understand how to care for your lenses.

The first thing you should do is make sure that you have purchased a soft-contact lens cleaning solution and a storage case for your lenses. Both of these products can be purchased from almost any pharmacy/drugstore, as well as most large retail stores such as Walmart or Target. You can also purchase them from online stores such as Amazon (see images on right).

The cleaning solution helps disinfect and remove protein build-up from your contact lenses and case. By soaking and storing your lenses in the solution each night, you also prevent the contacts from drying out.

Here is how to clean and store your lenses after removing them from your eyes each day:

• Fill both sides of your lens case with enough solution to soak the lens.
• Hold one contact lens on the tip of your finger.
• Gently pour some cleaning solution onto the lens.
• Flip the lens over and clean the other side.
• Place the lens into the case so that it is fully immersed by the solution.
• Clean the other lens and also store it in the other side of the lens case.
• Close the lens case and then let the lenses soak overnight (or at least 6 hours) at room temperature.
• After soaking, the lenses are ready to wear again.

Be sure to fill your case with fresh solution every time you store your lenses. Never reuse solution. You should also never use tap water to clean your lenses or your lens case. You may leave your lenses in the unopened lens case for up to 30 days prior to wear.

Tips for First-time Contact Lens Users

• Many first-time contact lens users can experience redness of the eyes, light sensitivity, itchiness, tears, extra blinking, and some movement of the contact lens. These are normal symptoms, and they will gradually diminish as you get used to wearing the lenses.
• If this is your first time wearing lenses, try not to wear them for a full eight hours on the first day. Instead, start by wearing them for only 1 hour on the first day. Then increase the wear time by 1 hour each day. This will allow your eyes to adjust to the lenses.
• If you would like step-by-step instructions on inserting and removing your lenses, please visit our Inserting and Removing Contact Lenses page.