Don’t Be Tardy! Change Your Monthly and Daily Contact Lenses on Time
Almost everything that we buy, we have to replace at some time. We should change our toothbrushes every three to four months. Similarly, hair brushes should be replaced every six months. A brand new mattress is an investment every seven to ten years.
These are some you may be aware of. But did you know that cosmetics have individual replacement schedules? And even your pillow should be replaced each year? It’s hard to keep up!
Contact lenses have replacement schedules too that differ depending on the type of lens. For example, extended-wear contact lenses typically last a month, while daily contact lenses must be thrown away at the end of each day.
Wearing contact lenses longer than recommended, or past their expiry dates, can seriously damage your eyesight.
Because it’s important to change your contact lenses on time, here are some tips on how you can keep your lenses current and your eyes healthy.
Why It’s Important to Change Your Lenses on Time
Wearing your contact lenses past their expiry dates seems like an easy way to save a few dollars. Getting a few extra days out of your lenses is like turning your conditioner bottle upside down to get one more squirt. You get a little bit more for your money.
But unlike your conditioner, squeezing a few extra days out of your contact lenses could be dangerous.
A recent CDC report found that out of 1,075 contact-lens related infections, nearly 20% resulted in significant eye damage. This damage included central corneal scars, diminished visual acuity and the need for a corneal transplant.
Contact lens-related eye infections aren’t the result of bad luck, but bad practices. Another CDC report found that an astounding 85% of adolescents have at least one bad contact lens habit. These bad habits increase the chances of infection. One of these bad habits is, you guessed it, failing to change contact lenses on time.
When past their expiry dates, contact lenses can:
- Dry out
- Become warped and/or swollen
- Appear cloudy
- Feel scratchy or itchy
- Lose their UV protective filter
- Play host to dangerous infection-causing bacteria
Tips to Help You Remember
You should replace your contact lenses on the first day of each month or each week. It sounds easy enough, doesn't it? But it’s not, as there are many other things on your to-do list. This list pushes contact lens care completely out of your mind. So we have a few handy tips that will help to make the care of your contacts a priority.
Mark Your Calendar
Do you live by events penciled into your calendar? Does your calendar keep you organized and focused? Marking your calendar with the replacement date is a great way to remind yourself to change your lenses.
Leave Yourself a Note
If you don’t use calendars a lot, try leaving yourself a note wherever you store your lenses. Write the replacement date on a sticky note and put it on the bathroom storage cupboard. Otherwise, write the replacement date on the lens pack itself, nice and big so you can’t miss it!
Form a Habit
Habit formation is mainly a matter of repetition and routine. Make it easy for yourself and always change your lenses at the same time on the same day of the week or month. You should anchor your new habit to an existing habit. For example, change your lenses after your weekly swim or right after your favorite weekly TV show. That way you won’t forget.
Order Repeat Prescriptions Online
Many online contact lens retailers now offer a repeat prescription service. As long as your prescription is current, online retailers will send a new set of lenses at an interval that you choose. You should also get into the habit of disposing of expired lenses as soon as the new ones arrive.
Switch to Daily Contact Lenses
Optometrists agree that a fresher lens is a better lens. The longer you wear your lenses, the more likely it is that they will dry out, warp and attract bacteria. Protein deposits that irritate the delicate surface of your eye, will also build up on your contacts over time. So you must clean your extended-wear lenses every day. However, you can’t be sure that you thoroughly clean your lenses each day.
Daily contact lenses are more liberating, as you will never need to clean them. Daily disposables come in their own individual sterile packaging, so you know they're always clean. You also discard these lenses at the end of each day, so every morning you put in a fresh pair!
Yet, there are cons to using daily disposable lenses. These lenses cannot correct all vision issues, so unusual prescriptions may not be accommodated. Daily disposables can also be slightly more costly than extended-wear lenses.
Although daily disposable lenses take care of the freshness factor, they also have expiry dates for you to keep in mind.
Remain Current!
You need to stay current in changing your monthly and daily contact lenses. If you’re not tardy, then you’re maintaining your optimum eye health.
There is a large selection of disposable contacts available for you to choose from. Whichever you choose, dailies or monthlies, we encourage you to apply our tips to help keep your contacts fresh and your eyes happy!