I thought I should look again and update these contact lens reminders, especially in view of very distrurbing developments related to counterfeit, contaminated and unsafe products that are more available. They will contribute to the safe and successful continuing wear of these prescribed medical devices.

1. Wash and thoroughly dry hands before; handling contact lenses and before application/removal and ideally dry with paper towels                                  2. Place contact lenses on your eyes before applying eye make-up
3. Return for all follow-up and after-care visits as advised
4. Do not ignore vision or comfort symptoms – contact your Contact Lens Practitioner
5. If you have any concerns or questions - contact your Contact Lens Practitioner
6. In case of any irritation, discomfort, loss of vision or eye redness lenses must be removed immediately. If symptoms persist seek medical advice, do not delay. During normal practice hours call your practice for advice. If not able to discuss with the practice call 111 or go to A & E at the nearest hospital. Do not attend a GP or pharmacy.
7. Discard contact lenses after each period of wear – do not store lenses to wear later that day
8. Keep within advised wearing times
9. Replace bottle tops (eye drops etc.) immediately after use and keep bottles out of direct sunlight
10. Discard solution in bottles (eye drops etc.) at recommended time after first opening
11. Avoid contact lens contact with fingernails, saliva, or water of any kind
12. Avoid showering or swimming in contact lenses (wearing tightly fitted googles whilst swimming reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of microbial keratitis and permanent vision loss)
13. Avoid wearing contact lenses with any form of eye medication unless advised otherwise
14. We would strongly recommend purchasing lenses and eye care products from this practice, aftercare fees for patients that do so are significantly less than otherwise. Web based suppliers of products will often not supply exactly the same products you are using, claiming substitutions are equivalent or there is an ‘upgrade’. There is also an increasing concern regarding counterfeit products with packaging looking identical to the original but not being of safe quality and/or contaminated, some have resulted in eye removal and a number of fatalities.
Here in our specialist Contact Lens and Dry Eye/Allergy Eye Clinics we have available high-technology eye-drops. It is better to use drops that do not contain eye irritating preservatives, we normally only recommend drops that are non-preserved. It is vital that contact lens wearers use drops that are lens compatible. In order that you use drops that are both safe and effective we recommend you do not change from our recommendation without consulting us.
15. In the same vein we much prefer for all eye care being provided in the same practice, where records are readily available and findings can be looked at easily and discussed by staff members, this continuity of care is in the patient’s best interest.