FAQs

Most contact lens wearers have napped or fallen asleep while wearing their contact lenses at one time or another.  If you are wearing lenses like PureVision® that are designed for extended wear, then this isn't a problem.  However if you are wearing lenses that are designed to be taken out at night then your eyes will probably be dry and maybe your vision will be cloudy or blurry.

Whatever you do, don't try to remove the lenses forcefully, as the lenses may have tightened on the eye due to a natural reduction in tear volume overnight.

For this reason, use rewetting drops or apply a few drops of your contact lens rinsing solution like ReNu or Biotrue to soften the lenses and rehydrate them.   Wait a few minutes until the lenses become mobile and are seen to move normally on a blink, and they should be easy to remove.

After this experience, it's helpful to wear glasses for a little while to allow the eyes to recover.  If your eyes remain sensitive, you should be instructed to:

Immediately remove the lenses.

If the discomfort or problem stops, then look closely at the lens. If the lens is in any way damaged, do not put the lens back on the eye.

• Place the lens in the storage case and contact your eye care professional.
• If the lens has dirt, an eyelash, or other foreign body on it, or the problem stops and the lens appears undamaged, you should thoroughly clean, rinse, and disinfect the lenses; then reinsert them.
• After reinsertion, if the problem continues, then you  should immediately remove the lenses and consult your eye care practitioner.
• If the above symptoms continue after removal of the lens, or upon reinsertion of a lens, or upon insertion of a new lens, then you should immediately remove the lenses and contact your eye care practitioner professional who must determine the need for examination, treatment or referral without delay.

A swimming pool environment and the sea are loaded with bacteria and micro-organisms which is why the straight answer is no.  Swimming in contact lenses puts your eyes at more risk of infection than not swimming in contact lenses. Always use appropriate swimming goggles if contact lenses are worn while swimming.  Swimming goggles not only protect against lens loss from swimming under water, but they may also offer some protection from the environment.

Contact lenses are an athlete's dream. They can increase peripheral vision plus, contact lenses don't fog up, slide down, or fall off. That adds up to better vision when you need it most. Depending on the sport, you should wear appropriate protective eyewear over them such as goggles or sunglasses.

Yes you can, but to minimise discomfort or your make up being ruined we recommend that you follow these simple guidelines:

• put your lenses on before you put your make-up on, and if you can, use oil-free and fragrance free make-up
• replace your make up frequently, we recommend mascara every 3 months, eyeliner every three months and eye shadows every six months

Use water-resistant mascara and eyeliner to prevent flaking and smudging. And avoid lash-building fibres as they can cause irritation if they get underneath your lenses.

No. Contact lenses should never be stored in tap water, nor should they be rinsed with tap water. Tap water contains micro-organisms that can latch onto the lenses, encouraging eye infections - which if left untreated can lead to permanent vision loss. Make sure you always use a lens solution. Check how to look after your lenses here. Tap water should also never come into contact with your lens case for the same reasons and you should always use a contact lens solution to clean your lens case.

No. The expiration date is an assurance that the product meets quality specifications through that period. To help assure successful contact lens experience, products that have not been used prior to the expiration date should be discarded.

Once a lens has been dropped onto a surface it may be contaminated, and only thorough cleaning and soaking in the disinfecting solution for the recommended soak time makes them safe to wear them again. If lenses are left for some time and have become dehydrated, it will be necessary to discard them and replace.

You may store your lenses up to a maximum of 30 days in the unopened lens case with B+L multipurpose solutions such as the ReNu® brand or Biotrue™.. If stored longer than 30 days between wear,you need to follow the cleaning and disinfecting steps prior to inserting your lenses. If you find that you are not wearing your lenses very often, then daily disposable lenses may offer better value such as Soflens®.daily disposables.

If you are using eye drops for a medical condition, then you should check with your eye care professional whether it is safe to wear your contact lenses during the course of treatment.  Your contacts could absorb both the preservative in the eye drop solution as well as holding unknown quantities of the drug which could cause an adverse reaction in the eye.

If you are using rewetting drops to freshen up your eye then choose a brand which is formulated for use with contact lenses.  In the case of 'eye whitening drops' be careful, as your eyes could suffer from 'rebound redness' from repeated use.

If you use contact lens re-wetting drops then these are absolutely safe to use with lenses and can improve comfort and flush away any debris from under the lens.  These can be used at anytime: prior to lens application, during lens wear, and also to rehydrate the lens prior to assist easy lens removal and also following lens removal to freshen the eyes.

Your eye care practitioner will recommend the length of time each day that your lenses can be worn.

There isn't a simple answer. With contact lenses it isn't a 'one size fits all' approach. Your eye care practitioner will make a judgment based on your lifestyle and will discuss your wearing schedule with you.  If you think you might be wearing your lenses longer than you should, or would like to wear them longer then talk it through with your eye care practitioner.

Eye exercises are unlikely affect your prescription. However they may be beneficial, for example if you sit in front of a computer screen all day.  To find out if they might work for you talk through your concerns with your eye care practitioner.

Many Eye Care Professionals begin to encourage contact lens wear at age 11 to 14 and they can be worn throughout your life.

The real issue is not age, but whether younger people are responsible enough to wear and care for contact lenses properly.

You shouldn't feel them.  If you experience any of the following:
• Eyes stinging, burning, itching (irritation), or other eye pain
• Comfort is less than when lens was first placed on eye
• Abnormal feeling of something in the eye (foreign body, scratched area)
• Excessive watering (tearing) of the eyes
• Unusual eye secretions
• Redness of the eyes
• Reduced sharpness of vision (poor visual acuity)
• Blurred vision, rainbows, or halos around objects
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Dry eyes

Remove the lenses immediately. If the discomfort or problem stops, then look closely at the lens. If the lens is in any way damaged, do not put the lens back on the eye.

Place the lens in the storage case and contact your eye care practitioner.
If the lens has dirt, an eyelash, or other foreign body on it, or the
problem stops and the lens appears undamaged, then
thoroughly clean, rinse, and disinfect the lenses; then reinsert them.
After reinsertion, if the problem continues, you should immediately
remove the lenses and consult your eye care practitioner.

If the above symptoms continue after removal of the lens, or upon
reinsertion of a lens, or upon insertion of a new lens,you
should immediately remove the lenses and contact his or her eye care
professional or physician, who must determine the need for examination,
treatment or referral without delay.A serious condition such as infection,
corneal ulcer, corneal vascularization, or iritis may be present,
and may progress rapidly. Less serious reactions such as abrasions,
epithelial staining or bacterial conjunctivitis must be managed and
treated carefully to avoid more serious complications.

No. Your eyelids are actually attached to your eye so there is no way they could get lost.

People often find daily lenses the most convenient as there are no solutions and cases to bother with. Daily lenses can also feel more comfortable, particularly if you aren't used to wearing lenses. Take a look at Bausch + Lomb's Soflens® daily disposable range and consult your Eye Care Professional for lenses that are right for you.

Many Eye Care Professionals feel that daily disposable contact lenses offer advantages over lenses replaced less frequently: they are convenient because no daily  lens cleaning is required and they are healthy because there is no day-to-day accumulation of lens deposits.

Some people's eyes produce more protein and lipids than others, and their lenses may need to be replaced more often. And if you have allergies, you might find that your lenses need to be replaced often, especially during peak allergy seasons.

A thorough evaluation by an Eye Care Professional will tell you the best wearing and replacement schedule for you.

This can be very uncomfortable.  If you have solution handy and a lens case, remove the lens immediately .  Or use re-wetting drops to flush out the foreign body.

No.  There are differences between your prescription for contact lenses and glasses.  So you will need to go to your eye care practitioner to get a spectacle prescription.

Working with your eye care practitioner, will determine the right wearing schedule.  If you feel that you need to rest your eyes from wearing contact lenses more than you expected, contact your eye care practitioner.  Together, you can determine if there is a reason that can be easily addressed.

Although some manufacturers have added UV blocking properties to some lenses, none of them block all of the harmful UV light. Health organizations state that contact lenses are not a substitute for UV absorbing eyewear such as UV absorbing sunglasses in part because contact lenses cover only a portion of the eye. So even if you have UV blocking lenses you should also wear UV blocking sunglasses.

Working with your eye care professional, you will determine the right wearing schedule.  If you feel that you are feeling that you need to rest your eyes from wearing contact lenses more than you expected, contact your eye care professional.  Together, you can determine if there is a reason that can be easily addressed.

People often find daily lenses the most convenient as there are no solutions and cases to bother with. Daily lenses can also feel more comfortable, particularly if you aren't used to wearing lenses. Take a look at Bausch + Lomb's Soflens® daily disposable range and consult your Eye Care Professional for lenses that are right for you.

If you are looking for tinted lenses to enhance or change your eye colour, you will need to be fitted for coloured contact lenses by your eye care practitioner just like any other contact lens.