Nowadays its very common to see all ages of men and women using colored contact lenses. At least half of the time, these are non-prescription contacts, also known as cosmetic, novelty or fashion contact lenses. They used to be quite expensive but because of their increasing popularity, the prices are more reasonable, and there are even cheaper one being bought from Korea as you’ll see if you surf  Ebay Philippines or the multitude of sellers on Multiply.

These lenses are fun to waer and people wearing them have been getting younger, probably because of their current affordability or because parents don’t see the harm in buying them for their children. I think this is perfectly fine, but both the purchasers and the wearers should be aware that cosmetic lenses can damage the eyes if they’re not worn and cared properly. All it takes is a litlle effort to keep your eyesight safe from injuries and infections. If you’re careless with your cosmetic lenses, as ofcourse its even possible to be with prescription lenses, the result could be vision damage and evn blindness.

The best thing to do before buying cosmetic lenses is to have a professional eye exam to find out if you have any eye or vision problem that might make wearing non-prescription contacts harmful and ask them to give you a professional training session and how to use and care for your contact lenses.

Here is a checklist of how to take proper care of your eyes and your lenses:

• Wash your hand thoroughly before touching your lenses
• Keep your lens case clean.
• Disinfect after storage. If your soft contact lenses have been in storage for longer than 12 hours, clean, rinse and disinfect them again using instructions from your doctor
• Have a regular eye checkups.
• Replace your contact lenses at the appropriate time
• Never wear your contacts while sleeping.
• Never use saliva to wet your lenses.
• Use the proper products for your contact lenses. Dont use home-made saline solutions.
• Cosmetic products and lenses don’t mix. Make-up and lotions of any kind should not make any contact with your lenses.
• Do not allow your lenses to come into contact with cosmentic lotions and creams or spray. It’s best thing to insert your lenses before putting on make up and to remove them before removing your make up.

Tags: contact lenses, eye damage caused by wearing contact lenses, health