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| COVID Eye Safety & Contact Lenses |
The traditional “best practices”
for wearing contact lenses safely may not be sufficient to completely prevent
COVID-19 spread, as wearing contact lenses requires a great deal of finger
manipulation around the eyelids, nose and mouth in order to insert the lenses.
Contact lens wearers often touch their eyes, mouth and nose, putting wearers at
risk for contracting the virus. Even with the best care and hygiene the
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recently published recommendations
for corona virus eye safety that strongly suggested not wearing contact
lenses and keeping everything away from patients’ eyes. That said, you
can choose to keep wearing your contact lenses but:
- Wash your hands carefully and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, followed by hand drying with unused paper towels. This should occur before every contact lens insertion and removal. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. People should avoid touching their face, including their eyes, nose and mouth, with unwashed hands.
- Disinfect or dispose your contact lenses as prescribed by your doctor. Either dispose of your daily disposable lenses each evening, or regularly disinfect your monthly and two-week lenses according to instructions.
- Discontinue lens wear if sick. Consistent with recommendations for other types of illness, those who feel ill with cold or flu-like symptoms should cease contact lens wear.
We look forward to
seeing you soon for your regular eye exams for eye health & vision! In the meantime if you, a friend or relative
should need help for a contact lens irritation, red eye or contact lens, PLEASE CALL 800-423-3937 and we can provide you with either a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation or schedule an appointment for a personal visit at The Eye Clinic of Texas. Visit us at The
Eye Clinic of Texas
at our Eye Care Blog, or on Facebook.
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