Since over 60% of Americans need to wear glasses or contacts, it makes sense that there are tons of options out there for them. From cool statement glasses to color contact lenses, the choices for those with myopia or farsightedness are nearly unlimited.
If you’re a fan of colored contacts and want to start wearing them, there are a few things that you’ll need to know first. Read on for seven tips on how you can stay safe and keep stylish while boasting this functional accessory.
1. Use Glasses, Too
Contacts- especially colored contacts- can cause eye irritation when worn for too long. Most people can wear colored contacts all day, but they should only be worn when you’re out and about. You can have a set of glasses for when you’re relaxing at home. This will prevent your eyes from becoming watery and strained as a result of the contacts.
You can also have a gorgeous and stylish pair of women’s designer eyewear to wear to work and social outings when contacts sound unpleasant. Glasses can be a fashion statement. They also take less time to put on, which gives you more time to do your hair and plan your outfit for a first date or night out.
2. Clean Them Properly
Before choosing color contact lenses, make sure that they’ve been approved by the FDA. If they weren’t, you likely will find yourself with an infection (and an inability to clean them properly).
Once you have FDA-approved lenses, you need to take good care of them. This means cleaning them each time you insert or remove them and washing and rinsing your hands before handling your contacts.
Cleaning your contacts is pretty easy. All you need to do is to clean and rinse them with an expert-approved sterile solution before taking them out and putting them in. You also must look at your lenses before beginning to wear them and ensure that there is no dust that would scratch your eye.
3. Don’t Share With Others
Many people think that colored contacts are an accessory that you can share with friends. This is absolutely not the case.
Unlike your favorite scarf or bracelet, contact lenses are directly applied to a part of the body that carries a lot of fluid. They trap bacteria and absorb it from your eye. Sharing a colored contact lens is a surefire way to get foreign particles and fluids into your eyes and get a horrid infection that can lead to serious problems including blindness.
Another less extreme problem with sharing is that the borrower isn’t going to be able to see. Most colored contacts are prescription and using someone else’s will make everything blurry. The borrower will get terrible headaches and have a tough time walking.
4. Put Them in Before Your Beauty Routine
You also should put your contacts in before applying any makeup. This is especially the case for eye makeup and anything powdery.
Powders near the eye can cling to the contact and wind up between your eye and the lens. This will not only scratch the contact, but it can cause you eye pain as well.
In addition to irritation as a result of powder, you may get an infection if you keep it in for a few hours. You also might scratch your eye and need to seek medical attention, which is both painful and expensive.
5. Choose the Right Hues
On a more aesthetic note, choosing the right color contact lenses is a fun and exciting way to experiment with fashion.
When in a professional setting or otherwise going for a natural look, you will want to use a visibility or enhancement tint. These hues are very subtle and are meant to draw out the natural color of your eye. If you want your blue-gray eyes to sparkle sapphire, this is the way to go.
On social occasions, you can choose theatrical tints as well as the above options. These hues completely alter your eye color and can make brown eyes green. They also can give a person bright purple or even red eyes if that’s your thing.
6. Remove Them When Uncomfortable
If contact lenses (color or otherwise) become uncomfortable at any point throughout your day, remove them and place them back in the appropriate case. Discomfort could be a sign of dust trapped between your eye and the lens, and taking the contacts out can prevent scratching.
Carry a pair of glasses with you for these occasions. This will ensure that you aren’t trapped in a situation where you need to drive but can’t see the road.
7. Remember That They’re Not Just Aesthetic
Because color contacts are so interesting and make a statement, it’s easy to forget that you’re not just wearing them for fun. Color contact lenses are a practical necessity for those who can’t see and should be viewed and treated as such. This is one of the reasons that they aren’t to be shared.
More than that, though, remembering that they aren’t all for the aesthetic makes sure that you care for them properly. Get them looked at or replaced immediately if something is wrong and go to the eye doctor if you need an updated prescription.
Beyond Color Contact Lenses
Now that you know how to wear color contact lenses safely and fashionably, it’s time to learn more tips on how to live your best life. Check out the ‘lifestyle’ tab on our home page for more information on how you can remain happy and healthy.
Here, you’ll find tons of articles about cleaning contacts and how to choose outfits that complement them, so what are you waiting for? Start browsing!
