Considering contact lenses… How we can make it easy for you!

Chanté Roets - B.Optom (UOFS) CAS(SA)

Are you nervous when you think about trying contact lenses? Don’t be. Putting contact lenses in and taking them out is easier than you might think! It may take a few days for your eyes to adjust to the feeling of contact lenses, but that is completely normal.

Here at Spectacle Warehouse we make an effort to give you instructions on how to insert your contact lenses and how to take the lenses out again. The appointment is booked for an hour and includes instructions from a trained staff member or an optometrist. They will demonstrate how to insert the lenses and take the lenses out and this will be practiced a few times until the patient can do it by himself/herself. There is usually a basic method to handle your contact lenses, but the method might be modified for every patient in order to make it the easiest for that patient. The handling techniques are also different for soft contact lenses and hard contact lenses. 

If the patient is comfortable inserting the lenses and taking them out, then the caring instructions are given. It is very important to know how to care for your contact lenses, because you can get a serious infection if you do not clean, disinfect and store your contact lenses properly. There is a lot of information to take in and remember when using contact lenses, that is why we also give you a pamphlet to summarise everything said in the appointment. Again the caring instructions are different for soft contact lenses and hard contact lenses. 

We also explain your wearing schedule, meaning if you need to replace your lenses daily or monthly. This is also very important to note and remember in order to avoid any infections. 

After the handling and care instructions, you take your trial pair of contact lenses home to try it out in your own environment. A follow-up appointment is then scheduled within a week and if necessary adjustments are made.  After all the adjustments your final contact lenses are ordered and the process is finished.

Of course, regular check-up examinations by your optometrist is important - so do not forget to see your optometrist yearly when wearing contact lenses.