Idocsteve's eye and vision care tip of the day (or week or month or whenever)

[wizer]

I come across useful tidbits in my travels.

When I find something worth posting, it will appear on this thread. Questions, comments are always welcome.


LensAlert Contact Lens and Case Replacement Timers are featured in the February issue of Woman's Day magazine under the heading "Product We Love." The article states, "If remembering to change your disposable contacts is tough, then keeping track of when to replace the lens case is probably pretty much impossible. Enter LensAlert, a simple device that could become as essential to your eye-care routine as multipurpose solution..."

For more information please visit www.lensalert.com

Compliance with contact lens replacement schedules is a huge problem in the profession, and most cases of infectious conjunctivitis and other eye related problems are due to this. Changing the contact lenses, and more specifically the case is something many contact lens patients probably don't do...regular plastic cases can also be boiled and allowed to air dry as well. This should probably be done at least every month or so.

This product has two timers that can be set for whatever interval you choose, one to replace the contacts and one for the case. Even if you don't want to toss a perfectly good case (for financial or environmental reasons) a thorough scrubbing, disinfection and air drying is a good second best.

[GoodWitch]

I have a little trouble understanding people who can't keep a schedule. Like those commercials for once-monthly osteoporosis pills, becasue they can't remember to take a pill every day. WTF? Just make it part of your routine and it becomes second nature.

Then again, I'm "Rain Man" when it comes to remembering significant dates, etc., so I probably shouldn't talk.

[wizer]

When our patients tell us they have torn a lens, we review the following with them:

  · Wet your lenses before sliding and removing.
  · Dump the lenses out of the case; do not "dig" them out with your finger.
  · Use your ring finger when gently digitally cleaning the lenses.
  · Agitate new blister packs before opening to avoid new lenses sticking to the packaging.


 

[Rella]

Thanks for bringing up this subject.......I will remind my son tonight to change his contact lens case........

It's not something people think about I think. But every time we visit the eye doctor we are given many sample boxes that contain little bottles of solution and new lens cases.

I think we just forget about the cases.

[wizer]

Thanks for bringing up this subject.......I will remind my son tonight to change his contact lens case........

It's not something people think about I think. But every time we visit the eye doctor we are given many sample boxes that contain little bottles of solution and new lens cases.

I think we just forget about the cases.

Even the most compliant patients forget the cases. At the very least, let them air dry..rather than keeping them covered after pouring out the solution, better yet is washing them with a mild dishwashing soap and giving them a good rinse, better is boiling, and of course replacing them periodically.

It's been a bad past year or so for contact lens related infections, but that is more due to some problems with contamination at the factories that produce the solutions. Noncompliance among contact lens wearers will always be a problem to some extent, even among those that try to do the right thing.