Contact Lens Myths During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Contact lenses have a bad rap nowadays because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a known fact that the virus can penetrate the eyes, stirring up fear among people who have vision problems.

Compared to eyeglasses, putting in contacts requires direct contact with your fingers. But, the thing is, you should stop yourself from touching any part of your face as much as possible.

How Coronavirus Affects the Eyes

Coronavirus primarily causes respiratory problems. So, why is it a big deal if it reaches your eyes?

First off, when the virus penetrates the eyes, it leads to “pink eye” or conjunctivitis. That’s because the conjunctiva is affected the most. The conjunctiva is the tissue covering the sclera or the white part of the eye.

Conjunctivitis results in swollen eyes. It can get unbearably itchy, hence the urge to rub your eyes a lot. That’s obviously a big n0-no during a pandemic.

Come to think of it, though, conjunctivitis is very treatable per se. Most of the time, the doctor will just prescribe you with the right kind of eye drops and the infection disappears within two weeks.

The worst part, however, is the higher risk of spreading the virus to other people. You might touch your eyes unconsciously to get rid of the itch and leave traces of the discharge on surfaces, especially on doorknobs and tables. The virus can stay on a surface for days or weeks, and we all know that even the littlest exposure can quickly worsen one’s health.

So, don’t be surprised if you should be quarantined over a simple pink eye. After all, it’s for the safety of everybody.

Contact Lens Myths

Despite the risk of directly touching your eyes when putting in contact lenses, it doesn’t change the fact that anyone can still use them instead of glasses as long as proper hygiene is observed. Learn more about the misconceptions of wearing contacts during the pandemic.

False: Contact lenses are much more dangerous than eyeglasses.

Let’s face it; glasses can’t still guarantee your safety from the virus. Whether you’re going to wear glasses or contacts, it’s risky either way. So, feel free to use lenses. You just need to make sure your hands are thoroughly clean whenever you touch your contacts.

Follow all of these steps carefully to ensure any trace of the virus is eliminated from your hands before touching a lens:

  1. Use clean water from the tap to initially wash your hands.
  2. Rub your hands to spread the soap all over your fingers and palms, especially the tricky areas under fingernails and between fingers.
  3. After making sure that your entire hands are covered with soap, focus on rubbing your palms together first.
  4. Lace your fingers together to efficiently clean the midpoint of each gap.
  5. Concentrate on rubbing your thumbs for a while just in case you’ve gripped something dirty.
  6. Don’t stop washing your hands for 20 seconds (the trick is to sing the classic song “Happy Birthday” twice).
  7. Wash off the soap from your hands thoroughly.
  8. Turn off the faucet with a paper towel covering your fingers to avoid touching the surface.
  9. See to it that there’s no moisture on your fingers to avoid contaminating your contact lenses (microfiber towels can quickly absorb moisture).
  10. After drying your hands, don’t touch anything else besides your contacts (that’s why the lenses should already be disinfected and within your reach, while you’re washing your hands).

However, will the type of soap you’re using make or break the process? Good news–it won’t! All soaps are made of oil or fat from plants or animals. They also contain an alkali to complete the formula. The typical composition of soap can easily break the lipid membrane that’s needed by the virus’s harmful proteins to function.

And, should you use hot or cold water when you wash your hands? Doesn’t matter. Just make sure that the water isn’t too hot to avoid the risk of easily cutting your hands due to extremely dry skin.

False: You should only use disposable contact lenses.

So, wearing contact lenses is totally okay even during the pandemic. That’s a relief! However, some claims actually discourage people to use a certain type of lens. Monthly contacts should only be replaced once a month, and that’s a huge red flag for some people because of the idea of using the same pair of lenses for weeks. Those people probably doubt the effectiveness of contact solutions when disinfecting lenses.

Fortunately, you shouldn’t worry at all with monthly contacts. They’re as safe as daily disposable lenses if you’re careful enough. It turns out that solutions containing hydrogen peroxide are quite effective at eliminating traces of the virus, if any, from the lens surface. That’s why it’s also highly recommended to use a hydrogen peroxide contact solution for cleaning your lens case or container. Never wash it with water.

You can also choose:

Contact lenses without prescription

False: Wear eyeglasses as much as possible.

There’s some truth to claims that you’re less likely to touch your eyes unconsciously if there’s a pair of glasses covering them. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t rely on contact lenses as the pandemic still affects the entire world.

It all depends on how comfortable you are with contacts. If you have sensitive eyes, then you should wear glasses more. Some people find it hard to get used to the feeling of wearing lenses, which may trigger them to touch their eyes more often than necessary.

On the other hand, there are high-quality contact lenses that can give a more natural feel in your eyes. If you’re wearing a comfortable pair of contacts, then you won’t feel the need to touch your eyes.

Now, what if you’re going to choose glasses over contacts? Well, you should still take extra precautions. There are two ways to clean glasses perfectly.

  • Wash with dish soap (use microfiber for drying)
  • Glass lens wipes (also effective for cleaning computers and phones)

Conclusion

The spread of the COVID-19 virus can get worse if the patient also experiences conjunctivitis. That’s why it’s essential for everyone to double their efforts in protecting their eyes. On that note, wearing glasses isn’t actually a foolproof way to ensure protection. No wonder contact lenses are still ideal for people with vision problems since there are proven ways to successfully keep your hands and nearby surfaces clean.

Where to Buy Comfortable Contact Lenses

Look no further for Contact Lenses 4 Us have a wide selection of contacts that can guarantee all-day comfort to prevent you from touching your eyes. We have products like the Dailies Aqua Comfort Plus, the Acuvue 2, and the Air Optix Night and Day. You can buy them without any prescription. We also ship worldwide, so don’t hesitate to order from us.

Contact Lens Myths During the Coronavirus Pandemic

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