Halloween hazards: jeepers peepers
Halloween is a fun time of year, offering the perfect opportunity to play dress up. However, transforming your eyes by changing their appearance and colour with non-corrective, cosmetic lenses to look like a zombie, cat or vampire can be a dangerous choice for your delicate peepers.
There is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' contact lens, therefore they should only ever be purchased from an eye health care professional, who will choose the best lens for your vision and ensure the correct fit. Cosmetic lenses require the same hygiene and care as prescriptive contact lenses. However, if you don’t buy them from an eye care professional you may not be provided with the education and information on how to safely care for the lenses and keep them clean. The risks of not caring for your lenses include serious bacterial infections, allergic reactions, or even significant damage to the eye's ability to function, with the potential for irreversible sight loss.
If you notice redness, swelling, excessive discharge, pain or discomfort from wearing your contact lenses, remove them and seek medical attention immediately. Eye infections such as keratitis can quickly become serious and cause loss of vision if left untreated.
If you are going to wear your cosmetic ‘fancy dress’ lenses ensure you follow the Bausch + Lomb recommendations in order to ensure you keep your eyes and happy and healthy as possible:
Always…
Clean, rinse, and disinfect your lenses each time you remove them. Follow your eye care professional's instructions.
Carry your contact lens case along with a bottle of multi-purpose solution to have a hygienic place to store your lenses.
Wash your hands with a mild soap and dry them with a lint-free towel before touching your lenses.
Handle the same lens first to avoid confusing the right and left lenses.
Keep all solution bottles closed when not in use.
Clean your lens case daily and let air dry. Replace your lens case every three months.
Use solution before expiration date marked on bottle, or discard.
Remove contacts before you go swimming.
Schedule regular appointments with your eye care professional as he/she recommends.
Never…
Touch the tip of a lens care solution bottle to any surface, including your finger or the contact lens.
Re-use any lens care solution.
Allow soaps, cosmetics, or other substances to come into contact with your lenses.
Use eye drops or solutions not intended for use with contact lenses.
Wear your contact lenses in the presence of harmful or irritating vapours or fumes.
Wear lenses for more than the prescribed time.
Swap contact lenses with anyone.
Apply hairspray after putting your contact lenses on.
Multi-purpose solutions are specifically designed in order to keep contact lenses clean and clear, ensuring your eyes stay as healthy and comfortable as possible. Biotrue multi-purpose solution has been developed following intensive studies on how the eye naturally works to clean, hydrate and keep itself healthy. Biotrue helps keep lenses moist for up to 20 hours and has exceptional disinfection properties. It is formulated to work like the eye with three bio-inspired innovations that are almost as remarkable as the eye itself:
matches the pH of healthy tears to help make putting in contact lenses more comfortable
includes a lubricant found naturally within the eyes
maintains healthy tear proteins to help keep lenses clean and clear
Biotrue multi-purpose solution is priced at a recommended retail of £13.45 for 300ml, or the Value Pack (2 x 300ml) for £23.95. Both are available from Boots and leading opticians across the UK.
For further information, and a full store locator list, log onto biotrue.co.uk.
