ABOUT US     CONTACT US     DISCLAIMER     HOME PAGE     NEWS AND VIEWS     SEARCH     UNIVERSITY OF DIVERSITYpticalCourse.com

Offering Free Training Courses
For Eyewear Professionals and Consumers

Soft Contact Lenses

Care and Compliance



Objective: The avoidance of infection and the possible loss of visual acuity.
It's best to act on the side of caution by removing lenses before sleeping.

CONTACT LENS PRIMER


Download Contact Lens Primer Course. 

CONTACT LENS DOS AND DON'TS


POINTS TO PONDER

A leading brand of 30-day wear contact lenses advertises their
product along with this statement, "Serious eye problems may occur".




Use great care to avoid using contaminated products.

Eye Care Professionals need to strongly emphasize the consequences
of Patient non-compliance with any and all of the following procedures.

2015 SURVEY OF CL WEARERS

CDC Report finds all contact lens wearers engage in at least one behavior that could put them at risk for an eye infection.

1.) Keeping their lens cases longer than recommended (82.3%)
2.) "Topping-off" solution in the lens case (55.1%)
3.) Wearing their lenses while sleeping (50.2%)
4.) Showering in contact lenses (84.9percent)

 

THE RULES

CLEAN, RINSE, DISINFECT

 

Wash your hands so that you minimize the transfer of foreign objects and germs into your eyes. Avoid moisturizing soaps. They should not be used with contact lenses. Dry your hands with a lint-free towel.

Remove a lens and clean it with the recommended solution. Cleaning removes eye-produced-protein buildup, cosmetics and other debris that impairs lens comfort. The FDA recommends that you rub the lens in the palm of your hand with a few drops of solution, EVEN if you are using a "no-rub" product.

Rinse the lenses again to remove the loosened debris, making sure to take as long as the package directs. NOTE: Rinsing is an important step, almost as important as cleaning.

Place the lens in your CLEAN lens case or lens holder and fill with fresh sterile solution. DO NOT "top off" your OLD SOLUTION. Disinfecting kills microorganisms on the lens. Disinfecting time varies from product to product; check the package for details. Do not use tap water.

Repeat steps two through four for your other lens.

All contact lens wearers are urged to remove their contact lenses during time of sleep in order to minimize eye-produced-protein buildup and the risk of infections. See Disclaimer.

"Risk of serious eye problems (i.e., corneal ulcer) is greater for extended wear. In rare cases, loss of vision may result. Side effects like discomfort, mild burning or stinging may occur." -- AirOptix

Beyond Clean, Rinse and Disinfect


"The most perfect lens prescription can be compromised if your
contact lenses do not provide comfort and long term wearability."

Protein. Depending on what kind of contact lenses you wear and how much protein your eyes deposit on your contacts, your doctor may recommend you use a product for protein removal.

While cleaning them does remove some protein, it can still build up on your lenses and make them uncomfortable. That's why the longer you wear lenses before replacing them, the more likely you are to need a protein remover.

For example, if you wear disposable lenses, you probably won't need one; but if you wear the kind of lenses that are replaced only once or twice a year, you definitely will. Products for removing protein include enzymatic cleaner and daily protein removal liquids.

Eye Dryness and Irritation. Use contact lens eye drops to lubricate your eyes and re-wet your lenses.

Eye Sensitivity and Allergies. A small percentage of lens wearers develop an eye allergy to the chemicals present in contact lens solutions. If this is the case with you, you don't need an additional product: You just need to switch products to those marked "preservative-free."

THE PRODUCTS
Cleaning, Rinsing and Disinfecting Solutions

Saline Solution is for rinsing and storing contact lenses, when you're using a heat or UV disinfection system. You may also need it for use with enzymatic cleaning tablets or cleaning/disinfecting devices. Never use saline products for cleaning and disinfection.
Daily cleaner is for cleaning your contact lenses. Place a few drops in the palm of your hand and carefully rub the lens for as long as directed, usually around 20 seconds, making sure to clean both sides. Use other products for rinsing and disinfection.

Multipurpose Solution is for cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting and storing your contact lenses. Clean your lenses as you would with daily cleaner, then rinse (as long as directed) and disinfect, all with the same solution; or rinse the lenses twice, then place them in a CLEAN lens case with solution to clean and disinfect. When you are ready to wear the lenses, rinse them again. With multipurpose solutions, no other lens care products are necessary.

Hydrogen Peroxide Systems may help wearers who are sensitive to the preservatives in multipurpose solutions. Hydrogen peroxide solution is for cleaning, disinfecting, rinsing and storing your contact lenses. With this product, you place your lenses in the provided basket and rinse them, then place the basket in its cup and fill the cup with solution to clean and disinfect your lenses.

Some lens holders for hydrogen peroxide systems have a built-in neutralizer (to convert the hydrogen peroxide to water, so it doesn't sting your eyes), but with others you need to add a neutralizing tablet.

After the disinfection and neutralizing step is completed, you can remove the lenses from the case and put them on.

IMPORTANT: Never rinse your contacts with hydrogen peroxide solution and apply them directly to your eyes without completing the entire disinfecting and neutralizing step. Doing so can cause a painful chemical injury to the eye.

See articles from fellow ECPs.

Download Contact Lens Primer Course.

Trouble-free contact lens wear requires
Patient compliance and attention to detail.


"The best vision and eye health require compliance with the rules."

FDA Warns Eye Care Professionals About LASIK Claims

Speaking on behalf of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Dr. Eric D. Donnenfeld said the group supports the FDA's latest efforts regarding LASIK providers making false claims.

LASIK is exceptionally safe when done by the right doctor on the right patient, stressed Donnenfeld, who is an ophthalmologist with offices throughout Long Island, NY. However, he said that "choosing the right doctor is the most important thing one can do." See LASIK Surgeon Ratings.

According to Donnenfeld, LASIK surgeons should be members of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. LASIK surgeons should also be board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

"A lot of patients make a decision based on an ad in a magazine or an audio clip on radio," Donnenfeld said. This may not be the smartest approach, he said, because" there are a lot of very good doctors who advertise, but it doesn't mean a doctor is good because he advertises or offers group discounts."

"We have to go beyond the advertising or Groupons and have to treat [LASIK] as a surgical procedure," he said.

Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK, either, Donnenfeld added. People with thin or irregular corneas and other eye diseases such as dry eye, glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye) or cataract (cloudy areas in the lens) might be advised against the procedure, for example.

Donnenfeld's advice for finding a good LASIK surgeon: ask your eye doctor who he or she would see for their own eyes.

But he also stressed that as LASIK technology has improved many risks have been minimized, if not eliminated. For example, "the risk of glare and halo have largely gone away," Donnenfeld said.

"Dry eye is common after LASIK and it almost always goes away after three or six months," he noted, and people who already have dry eye prior to the surgery are not candidates for LASIK.

Infection is also a risk with any surgery, Donnenfeld said, but following preoperative instructions -- including taking antibiotics -- can help reduce this risk. Another potential risk may be larger pupils.

"These should all be discussed during your consultation," he said. --

Infection Threatens Woman's Sight After
Using Tap Water To Store Contact Lenses


Erin with husband, Justin

Huffington Post, 10/10/2013 -- How many times have you let your basic contact lens hygiene slide, not doing things like washing your hands before handling your lenses, using tap water instead of saline solution or sleeping in your lenses?

During a busy week at work, a woman named Erin was out of contact lens solution but didn't have time to buy any, so she used tap water to store her contact lenses.

That would soon prove to be a mistake: She contracted a rare amoeba infection that began to attack her cornea.

"The pain was excruciating," she told Dr. Travis Stork on The Doctors. She went to the ER, where doctors thought she had a simple eye infection and prescribed her a steroid. However, after the pain still did not go away, she visited an optometrist who realized that she had an amoeba infection.

"The steroid was, in fact, hiding the infection," she said. "It was keeping my sight but it was actually feeding the amoeba, via the steroid, making it stronger."

Stork noted that steroids can actually be detrimental in cases like this, because they make it harder for the body to fight off the infection.

To find out how Erin's vision has now been compromised because of the infection, watch this video. For what you need to know about contact lenses, click here. And for more FAQs about contact lens hygiene and health, click here. --

Eye Care Professionals, watch this
new test for Dry Eyes and more.

 
James E. Crowley, III, M.D.

When Opticians relate to consumers as Customers,
it often has an adverse impact on the relationship.
When consumers order their prescription eyewear, they
should invariably be served as Patients, never Customers.
Patients receive healthcare. Customers receive merchandise.


HANDS ON THE PATIENT
WORKSHOPS ARE AVAILABLE HERE




Whatever happened to old-fashioned
Hands on the Patient Opticianry?

Contact Lens Care and Compliance

NCLE No Fee CEs For Opticians

The Rap on Wrap-arounds

Sunwear Is Not An Option

About Professional Egos

Time For Craftsmanship


   

Books, lectures and tests can take an Optician's skills only so far.

It is time for touch-and-feel, Hands on the Patient training.
Only one on one craftsmanship training provides this.
Craftsmanship cannot be learned virtually.

"Handcrafted frame fitting, i.e., touch and feel, hands-on dispensing,
cannot be outsourced to lectures or virtual sources. It is an art form,
which requires actual and multi-dimensional contact with the patient."

HANDS ON THE PATIENT WORKSHOP TRAINING AVAILABLE HERE
"It is incumbent on those who know, to teach those who do not know.
It is incumbent on those who do not know to surrender their ego."

ABO, American Board of Opticianry accredited, and Florida State Board approved CE
hours for Intermediate and Advanced Level Opticians in Handcrafted Frame Fitting
are currently offered under the sponsorship of POF, the Professional Opticians of
Florida. Click or Call 855-410-2700 to arrange for Training Session.

    

      

         

OpticalCourse.com
© All rights reserved.

Grateful appreciation is hereby expressed to
Ennco Display Systems and Systems of Sight for
permission to use their copyrighted images on this Web site.


More Web sites by
KhalsaWebMasters.com

SAAAP.org Dieterata.com
AllIsOne.guru HariSingh.com
TheISites.com SikhTribes.com
SopaSeca.com SikhSongs.com
UbuntuAge.com WaheGuru.guru
UntoInfinity.com NarayanOil.com
LeftOfMaya.com SikhsShine.com
LivtarSingh.com
3HOHistory.com
EyesOnPies.com Turbanators.com
SikhAnthem.com IsolatedSeer.com
BroadPoints.com 13EkOngKar.com
Obama43To1.com SoothingSpa.com
HariKaurBird.com ChardeeKala.com
OpticalViews.com 2020ForEyes.com
KhalsaVision.com SPIRITofGRD.com
GuruRamDas.com LakeKillarney.com
DualityOptics.com HariSinghBird.com
MySikhSense.com
RamDasSingh.com
BigotDetector.com
BeYourAllness.com
3DDispensing.com
LandOfAwwws.com
Interior-Guard.com SatKartarSingh.com
OpticalCourse.com DrRamonIbarra.com
MiriPiriWarrior.com FitItAndForgetIt.com
1IsTheAnswer.com OpticianryToday.com
SatNamMeans.com WordPhysiology.com
KaliYugaSigns.com JustAddedWater.com
SiriSinghSahib.com EyewearMoodys.com
1And1Equals11.com PreetKaurKhalsa.com
CloseOrderDrill.com WhiteTantraYoga.com
RamDhanSingh.com 3HOLegacyLinks.com
2020ForWomen.com TheMahanTantric.com
HangupsByHari.com SiriMantraForLife.com
DownWithCarbs.com
WhoAreTheSikhs.com
ACTForDiversity.com OpticianryReview.com
AdiShaktiMantra.com 2020ForOpticians.com
ScienceOfMudra.com OpticalGuidelines.com
OneIsTheAnswer.com GuruGobindSingh.com
ScienceOfMantra.com OpticalWorkshops.com
GuruGaitriMantra.com KirpalSinghKhalsa.com
OohRahMemorial.com SimranKaurKhalsa.com
WeProcessLoans.com
SatpalSinghKhalsa.com
AkalCommittee13.com SadhanaGuidelines.com
GurdwaraSecurity.com YouAreTheEssence.com
AmarSinghKhalsa.com KundaliniYogapedia.com
DiversityDialogues.org StFrancisOfficePark.com
SensitivitySummit.com ToTheSweetestMom.com
AwtarSinghKhalsa.com YogiBhajansTeacher.com
SurvivalCampUSA.com OpticalShiftHappens.com
KhalsaWebMasters.com AllForOneWonForAll.com
MasculineMoments.com DrinkingDrivingDead.com
AhaMomentOfTruth.com MyInterviewWithGod.com
HairInLaysTheTruth.com SaTaNaMaMeditation.com
PartnersNotParents.com FaceBlindnessIsReal.com
ToTheSweetestWife.com ToServeIsToSucceed.com
EachMomentIsAGift.com ServingVersusSelling.com
SikhAndYeShallFind.com SukhmaniKaurKhalsa.com
OpticiansForChange.com LakesideManorOnline.com
HappinessIsTheRule.com EyeWearProfessionals.com
AtTheFeetOfTheYogi.com SecurityAdvisoryTeam.com
SiriGuruGranthSahib.guru ReligionDemographics.com
RaMaDaSaMeditation.com TimeForCraftsmanship.com
UniversityOfDiversity.com FirstSikhOfSikhDharma.com
YogiTeaByYogiBhajan.com
AkalCommitteeThirteen.com
DispensingGuidelines.com HealthEqualsHappiness.com
CourageousDialogues.com GoodGuysWearTurbans.com
SatKriyaByYogiBhajan.com AquarianAgeBeganHere.com
IfYouKnowWhoYouAre.com ButterflyEffectExplained.com
EyeExaminationOnline.com FirstTeachersAreWomen.com
GlassesOnlineWarning.com SugarIsAFourLetterWord.com
IDoNotEatDeadAnimals.com SikhWomenWearTurbans.com
MoreThanYouCanKnow.com WomenWimpsOrWarriors.com
OpticiansForThePeople.com CosmicCyclesAndCircles.com
OnsiteFamilyHealthcare.com TheAfterDeathExperience.com
SantSipahiAdvisoryTeam.com IAmABornAgainAmerican.com
KirtanKriyaByYogiBhajan.com TestYourKnowledgeOnline.com
SatHanumanSinghKhalsa.com LifeAccordingToYogiBhajan.com
TextingAndDrivingIsCrazy.com NowYouKnowThatYouKnow.com
ItsAllAboutMeNotAboutYou.com KundaliniYogaByYogiBhajan.com
WordsOfWisdomAndHumor.com
IfYourDadDoesntHaveABeard.com
CrucifixionByAnEyewitness.com EndOfPrideAndPrejudiceIsNigh.com
GodAndMeMeAndGodAreOne.com EkOngKarSatNamSiriWaheGuru.com
ReachOutAndTouchSomebody.com TheTechnologyOfConsciousness.com
ConsciousCommunicationGuidelines.com OneIsTheAnswerWhatIsTheQuestion.com

  *Consultation with a health care professional should occur before inserting contact lenses, applying adjustments or treatments to the body, consuming medications or nutritional supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising. None of these activities are herein presented as substitutes for competent medical treatment. See Disclaimer.

 

 

 

ABOUT US       CONTACT US       DISCLAIMER       HOME PAGE       NEWS AND VIEWS       SEARCH       UNIVERSITY OF DIVERSITY