Switching from Eye Glasses to Contact Lenses

If you have poor eyesight that needs to be corrected by an optometrist, the obvious solution for most people is, of course, to purchase eyeglasses with corrective lenses in frames that are comfortable and flattering. Glasses improve our confidence and quality of life by allowing us to engage in our environments with safety and bear witness to the beauty all around us without blurriness. You should always rely on your optometrist and their assistants to give you the best eye care and advice on how to care for your eyes, but you may have decided, over time, that it’s time to switch things up a bit. Contact lenses are a wonderful option viable for most people with correctable vision. They allow you to still see clearly while not altering the natural appearance of your face with eyeglasses frames. Here are some things to consider before you make the switch.

​As you may imagine, it’s difficult to get used to wearing contact lenses.
A lot of people can be intimidated just by the concept of applying or removing contact lenses from their eyes. It involves physical contact with your eyes, after all, which we instinctively protect from physical contact! It can take days or weeks to become truly used to the procedure, so don’t expect to have it down flat immediately! Ask your vision care assistant in the Dallas-Forth Worth area for the best practices to help you adjust naturally.
Hygiene is of the utmost importance—you could lose much more than the time it takes to wash your hands!
Of course, when you’re doing anything with your eyes, you should wash your hands thoroughly and carefully and make sure that they are clean before even opening your contact lens case. Using proper hygiene is absolutely tantamount to the best vision care, and in extreme cases people have lost their vision and even their eyes. You should also be prepared to replace your contact lens case monthly, and to keep your contact lens solution changed each and every day.
 
If you wear eye makeup, your life is about to get interesting.
Not only will excess moisture from the application of contact lenses potentially make your eye makeup run and smear, you have to be extra careful about which kinds you use, now. Make sure to use products of high quality that are unlikely to flake—that is a painful thing to have trapped on your eye, and not to mention possibly damaging! Especially when you are getting used to your lenses, you may wish to skip eye makeup altogether. Less mess, less to worry about.
 
There is no ‘one size fits all’ contact lens.
Your choices are about to open up, and they may well be overwhelming. There are hard lenses, soft lenses, lenses that are disposed of daily, lenses which may be used for a few weeks or thirty days, lenses specifically designed for astigmatism, lenses which are safe to wear to bed for certain periods of time, lenses for people with chronic dry eye, and the list really does go on. All of these different sorts of contact lenses are cared for in a specific way, as well. Follow the directions and advice of your eye health care provider to find what’s best for you and how to take care of them.
 
It may take numerous tries to find the perfect lenses for you.
And there may be no one lens that is one hundred percent perfect for you, but you should be able to find the best solution, over time. There are so many factors that go into finding the best lenses for your eyes and your needs, so it’s important not to get discouraged if the first few pairs don’t work out. Your optometrist will likely give you several trial pairs to wear before you make a decision and purchase your supply of contact lenses, saving you money.
 
Whenever water is going to come into contact with your face, you should remove your contact lenses.
This is true if you’re showering, swimming in a pool, sitting in a hot tub, or just washing your face. Water in taps and other sources is not sterile, and therefore should not come into contact with your lenses, due to risk of infection. To be safe, always remove your lenses before engaging in any of these activities. This may necessitate the purchase of items such as prescription goggles for swimming, so make sure that you discuss this with your optometrist.