Can I Use Eye Make-up?

Make sure you wear your lens before your eye make-up. While wearing mascara, kajal or eye liner you need to be careful and make sure that no particle enters the back of your retina or your eye ball.

When you are all set to remove the make-up, make sure you remove the lens first before removing the make-up. This will help prevent any make-up particles from entering your lens and causing eye irritation.

... Do Nails Matter?

Keep your finger nails are short. Lenses are very fragile and long nails could tear your lens. Also, you may injure your eye in an attempt to put on your lens.

If you want to have long fingernails, make sure you have short nails on the hand you use for wearing the lens.

Basic Hygiene

Keep your hands and fingers as clean as possible. Make sure you wash your hands with soap and water before you touch your lens.

After a meal, make sure no food is trapped in your nails before touching your lens. If you feel a burning sensation after wearing your lens, remove your lens immediately and then use lubricant eye drops or simply wash your eyes with clean water.

You can get the lubricant eye drops after consulting your ophthalmologist. Do not use the lens for a few minutes and once the irritation is gone, you can wear your lens again.

… Sleeping With the Lens

Just as you don't sleep with your shoes on, you must never sleep with your lens on. Not even for a few minutes.

If you do, your eyes will not get oxygen to breathe and consequently, there won't be enough blood circulation.

Whenever you are at home, make sure you wear your glasses. When you need to go out, you can wear your lens.

What If I am Pregnant?

It is absolutely safe to wear lenses if you are pregnant. However, during pregnancy, your power will keep fluctuating.

So, wear your lenses provided there is no major difference in power and you are able to see properly.

You can go for an eye check-up just before you try for a baby; if you get your lenses changed at this point, there won't be much of a difference in your power then.

Just after delivery, your body and eyes will go through several hormonal changes. After this time your power will stabilise. So make sure that you get your power rechecked and lens changed, only after a year and a half.

Whether you have disposable contact lens or regular ones, make sure you take care of them properly and use them in the right way to have healthy eyes.

(With inputs from Dr. Vinod R. Goyal, Ophthalmologist and Medical Director of Surya Eye Institute, Mumbai)

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