| Cardigan - Narberth - Pembroke |
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Pembroke Dock
The Argyle Medical Centre Argyle Street, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, SA72 6HL 01646 689907  |
Contact Lens CareMillions of people throughout the United Kingdom enjoy the many benefits that contact lenses have to offer. As well as the obvious cosmetic advantages, many people actually see better with their contact lenses than they do with their spectacles, as contact lenses provide a more natural form of vision correction. There are also many practical advantages for contact lens wear in many sport and recreation pastimes, and for most people their contact lens wear is safe and completely trouble free.There are basically two types of contact lenses available; rigid and soft, and your contact lens practitioner will advise you on the most suitable for your needs. Recently published research, however, has indicated a slight risk of eye infections associated with contact lens wear especially if you sleep with your lenses in. Other important factors highlighted by this research include the following: Poor Patient Compliance- Wearers not caring properly for their lenses. Dirty Storage Cases- Wearers not cleaning their storage case regularly. 1. Daily Cleaning Immediately after removing your contact lenses it is essential that you clean your lenses with a cleaning solution. After removing the lens from your eye place the lens in the palm of your hand, put two or three drops of the cleaner on the lens and rub well for twenty to thirty seconds. Rinse the cleaner off with sterile saline or other solution recommended by your practitioner. 2. Disinfection Following cleaning, it is essential that the lenses are disinfected. This prevents harmful organisms building up on the lens. Your contact lens practitioner will advise you of the best system for your type of lenses. All disinfection systems will involve soaking your lenses in certain chemicals for a specific period of time, this may range from a few hours to overnight. 3. Protein removal Some types of contact lenses require protein removal by using an enzyme tablet. This is a more important requirement for soft contact lenses than for rigid lenses and the need is greater for lenses not replaced frequently. Your practitioner will advise whether you need to use a specific enzyme tablet as part of your contact lens regime. 4. Daily Disposables With Daily Disposable Lenses, no lens care is required after wear since the lens is thrown away after wearing. It is essential with these lenses that they are not kept for re-use since suitable cleaning and disinfectant solution is not available. The use of Daily Disposables does not decrease the importance of regular follow up checkups. Useful tips: If you are having problems with your contact lenses always seek professional advice. Never go to bed with a painful red eye - seek advice immediately. Always wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly before handling your lenses. Rinse your storage case and leave it open to dry after use each day and replace monthly. A dirty case is a major source of infection. Clean the storage case using a clean toothbrush and contact lens cleaner on a weekly basis. As a rule never bring any contact lenses in contact with tap water. Always attend for aftercare check-ups whenever advised by your practitioner. This will involve several visits in your first year of wear and at least one annual visit thereafter. This is important even for wearers who are not experiencing difficulties as subtle changes that you may not be aware of can take place and it is important to make sure both your eyes and the lenses you are wearing are kept at their best. Never lick your lenses - harmful organisms can be transferred from your mouth and may cause infection. Remember the three important questions you must ask yourself each day when you wear your lenses: Are my eyes comfortable? Can I see clearly? Do my eyes look clear and not red? If you cannot answer ?yes? to all of these, or you have any other doubts concerning your contact lenses, remove your lenses immediately and seek the advice of your contact lens practitioner. |
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