How to create a contacts routine
“Good habits are hard to form but are easy to live with, bad habits are easy to form but are hard to live with”
I don’t know who said that but it is so true.
*Your contact lenses are the most important thing in your life, without them you are lost
You need a special place where you put and remove them, ideally a clean table with a mirror, have all the cleaning solutions and eye drops at hand and ordered, have backup plungers and extra lens cases available and a small makeup magnification mirror with light if possible.
Have a portable light at hand in case the lens fall and you don’t see them. If your lens fall to the floor don’t move, try to guess where they are, stay calm and carefully back up from where you are and get the lamp.
If you put them in the bath do realize that the lens may fall to the sink or the floor so be careful with that, that happened to me once and have to dismantle the sink, luckily I found the lens.
Always remove the same lens first, put it in the case and fill it with the solution. Then remove the other lens and do the same. It is always a good idea to put a re-wetting drop on each eye before attempting to remove the contact.
How do I insert scleral contact lenses
Before insertion put the lens on your hand and empty the over-night solution over the lens and then with your finger gently rub the inside surface of the lens to remove protein buildup; after that drop, the old solution, wash the lens with clean water or re-wetting solution, put 3-4 drops of new solution and then insert the lens.
There are different ways to do this, put the lens in your index finger and add 3-4 drops of a new solution, this requires balance, and with my other hands open the eyelids gently and insert the lens.
Many times I altered this order and almost lost a lens or put both lenses together in the same side of the case, this happens when you arrive late and are tired, the next morning you freak out because you don’t find a lens in the case.
It is easy to screw up if you are thinking about a problem or are in a hurry, you need to be focused on the routine and do it with calmness.
Never put the lenses in tap water unless it is an emergency and always check the lens before insertion, sometimes there are particles, dry solution, or eyelashes inside that could irritate you, or the lens is broken or dirty with protein buildup.
How long will it take?
If you repeat the routine daily, soon will become automatic and you will get better at inserting and removing the lens. It usually takes about 21 days
To get used to the routine, do the same thing every day and remember to be always concentrated and calmed while putting or removing your contacts.
Good Luck!
Heriberto R.