Out of habit with contact lenses

If you’ve used contact lenses for many years, it’s easy to fall into bad eye hygiene habits. That’s the same whether you wear varifocal contact lenses or prescription lenses. You think, “Oh, I’ll just do it this one time” and bam! The next thing you know is that you’ve been sleeping in your daily contacts for a week straight (which you should never do unless instructed by your eye care professional).

So, where are British contact lens wearers slipping up the most? Ironically, it seems that it’s the bathroom where our eye care hygiene habits are less than stellar as 22% of respondents admit to wearing contact lenses in the shower or the bath. While it’s tempting to nip into the shower with lenses in because you’re running late, or to better see what products you’re using, it’s a very bad idea. Contact lenses are a porous material and act as a host for infections when in contact with water, which contains potentially harmful bacteria that can greatly increase the risk of nasty eye infections and irritations. It’s in your best interests then to take them out before you shower or wash your face.

In second place is the fact that a worrying 20% of Brits don’t wash their hands before handling their lenses – a worrying and somewhat unsavoury statistic. The issue here is self-explanatory – your delicate eyes are now exposed to wherever your hands have been. Take the time to practice good hygiene habits when handling your contacts – your eyes will thank you for it!

Rank	Bad habit	% admitting to it
1	Wearing contact lenses in the shower/ bath	21.90%
2	Not washing your hands before handling your lenses	19.71%
3	Sleeping in contact lenses that aren't meant to be slept in	16.79%
4	Not replacing your case monthly	13.14%
5	Not going for a contact lens check every two years	12.04%
6	Forgetting to remove contact lenses	12.04%
7	Not adhering to a care regime, which involves cleaning, disinfecting and rinsing contact lenses	11.68%
8	Reusing daily contact lenses	11.31%
9	Wearing contact lenses while swimming	11.31%
10	Not following the care and compliance of contact lenses as instructed by your eyecare professional	10.95%
11	Storing your contact lenses in something other than the solution	5.11%%

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