Do Contact Lenses Irritate Your Eyes in the Summer?

If you find that your eyes become more sensitive to contact lenses in the summer, you are not alone.
Many of our customers tell us that their eyes itch which makes contact lens wear uncomfortable at this time of year.

This is often the result of a seasonal allergy triggered by the pollen count that increases when the weather is hot.

However all is not lost!

You could wear glasses whilst your symptoms persist or alternatively try wearing daily disposable lenses for a couple of hours a day.

You might also find that anti-histamine eye drops help relieve some of the itchiness. But remember, they cannot be used in conjunction with your lenses.

Another option is to use mast-cell stabiliser drops to strengthen your cell membranes responsible for your allergic symptoms.

Contact Lens Over Wear

Wearing your contact lenses for longer than your optometrist has recommended can cause problems.

This is because the oxygen supply to your eye can be reduced which can cause corneal abrasions, corneal ulceration or infection.

Symptoms of these complications can include:

• Blurred vision


• Redness


• Eye irritation or pain

Therefore: Always stick to the contact lens wearing schedule that your optometrist has recommended.

Caring For Contact Lenses

Here are some rules for contact lens care:

Do:

• Stick to the wear schedule provided by your optometrist


• Always wash your hands before inserting or removing your lenses


• Always use a fresh contact lens solution


• Replace faulty, damaged or dried out contact lenses


• Change your contact lens case every 3 months


• Try to handle daily disposable lenses as little as possible


• Before inserting monthly disposable contact lenses rub and rinse them

Don’t:

• Sleep in your contact lenses unless your optometrist has told you it is okay to do so


• Re-use your lens solution


• Use tap water to clean your contact lenses as it can contain bacteria


• Wear your contacts to go swimming


• Ignore eye discomfort

New Nike MaxSight Contact Lenses

Nike has recently got together with leading contact lens manufacturer, Bausch & Lomb. Together they have created an innovative new lens designed for sports people called Nike MaxSight.

Nike MaxSight are soft tinted contacts that act like sunglasses by filtering out UVA, UVB and blue light.

This makes colours seem to be less bright which helps people playing sports to see more clearly. But of course unlike sunglasses, they sit directly on your eye to reduce visual distortion and provide clear vision from all angles.

Choosing Contact Lenses

There are a number of things that you need to think about when choosing contact lenses. For instance, you need to consider your lifestyle, the health of your eyes, whether you have allergies or are prone to dry eyes.

Each of these factors can affect which type of contact lens is most appropriate for you.

For example, if you have dry eyes you might find that you are very sensitive to regular contact lenses. If this is the case you might want to think about wearing lenses with a different water content, fitting or material.

Your optometrist will be able to discuss your needs and personal circumstances with you so that he/she can recommend the best contact lenses for you.