#18 | Wash...Wash...Wash Your Hands

Eye Care Tip of the Week | #18

Wash...Wash...Wash Your Hands 

When in doubt, wash your hands. 

Many eye infections can be prevented by simply washing your hands before rubbing your eyes or inserting and removing your contact lenses. 

Regularly washing your hands helps to remove dirt, dead skin cells and to reduce the spread of germs to yourself and others.  

Your hands come into contact with bacteria and virus' all day long, and these transient strains need to be removed. Failure to wash your hands before inserting and removing your contact lenses or rubbing your eyes results in the transfer of bacteria to the contact lens and may lead to an eye infection. 

To get your hands extra clean, make sure that you wash them with soap and water (warm or cold - they're both equal) for at least 20-30 seconds. Always dry your hands afterwards with a clean towel. Wiping your hands on your shirt and pants does not count. 

10 Common Activites Where You Should Be Washing Your Hands

1. Before and after eating, or when preparing food 

2. Before and after going to the washroom

3. After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing

4. After taking out the garbage

5. Before inserting or removing your contact lenses

6. Before adding eye drops

7. Every day when you get home from school or work. 

8. After playing with pets and animals

9. While caring for someone who is sick or after visiting a hospital

10. Before holding a baby or after changing their diapers. 

When in doubt...rewash your hands. 

This Eye Care Tip of the Week is brought to you by Dr. Puneet Randhawa

Eye Care Tip #16 | Novelty Contact Lenses for Halloween

Patients call our office around this time of year, looking for cheap non-prescription Halloween or special effect contact lenses to finish out their custom. 

Stonewire, however, does not sell Halloween or special effect contact lenses to the public because we have not yet found a brand that we feel is safe to wear. Many of these novelty contact lenses offer reduced oxygen transmissibility, which can lead to hypoxia-related complications to the cornea and may increase the risk of developing an infectious keratitis.      

Just say no to novelty contact lenses this Halloween

To learn more about the risks, check out this excellent blog post written by one of our optometrists: 'Scary Halloween Contact Lenses' or feel free to check out the section by the FDA on Decorative Contact Lenses.  

You can also talk to one of our optometrists about alternative options. 

#14 | October 3, 2017

Eye Care Tip of the Week: #14

The cheapest place to buy your contact lenses is probably directly from your optometrist.  

If you buy your contact lenses online or from a big box retailer, you very well might be overpaying. Patients are led to believe that they are saving big when they purchase online or that warehouse clubs, but that's just great marketing. 

The truth is your doctor's office is often far less expensive. But it's tough to convince people of this, as they often think it's too good to be true and that there must be a catch. We also don't have big national marketing campaigns, so it's tough to get the word out there  

So how is it possible? The per box price is almost always identical to other retailers, but most contact lens manufacturers offer patients who purchase from their optometrist's exclusive mail-in rebates that can be as much as $180 for a 1-year supply of contact lenses. They either provide the rebate in the form of a prepaid credit card or prepaid gift card which can be put towards your next contact lens supply. 

Classic example in our clinic

Air Optix Hydraglyde
The #1 selling monthly contact lens

Annual Supply 4 Boxes = $180.00
Alcon Rebate = $60.00
Final Price = $120.00 

That's only $10.00 per month for a high-quality contact lens. Trust me; you can't beat that price, we've shopped it around. 

This Eye Care Tip of the Week is brought to you by Stonewire

*Prices are valid as of 9/18/2017 - Rebates and contact lens prices may change without notice, please talk to a Stonewire staff member for the latest prices. 

#13 | September 26, 2017

Eye Care Tip of the Week #13

There are no no-rub contact lens solutions. 

If you wear a two-week or monthly disposable contact lens, you must rub the lens every night after removing it and before storing it in fresh solution. This little step only adds 5-10 seconds to the daily process, but it certainly can make a big difference in your ocular comfort and health. 

The rubbing action helps to break down the biofilm that develops on the surface of the contact lenses and prevents the contact lens solution from properly penetrating and disinfecting the lens. 

All contact lens handling routines were re-evaluated after a rash of fungal keratitis outbreaks in contact lens wearers between 2005-2006. It was later determined that the mere act of rubbing the contact lens surface helped to disinfect the lens better than no rub techniques.

Check out this great article on Pub Med: Soft contact lens cleaning: rub or no-rub?

This Eye Care Tip of the Week is brought to you by: Dr. Ross McKenzie

#3 | Put your contact lenses in before you put your makeup on

Eye Care Tip of the Week | #3

Put your contact lenses in before you put your makeup on.

Why? Debris from your lids and lashes can get trapped behind the contact lens. This debris can cause small scratches and irritations to the surface of your cornea and may lead to an eye infection.  

Residue from foundations and creams may remain on your fingers and be transferred to the surface of your contact lens. This buildup can further increase protein deposits and may result in reduced visual clarity out of your contact lenses. 

Glitter from eyeshadows and mascara particles can cause tearing and irritate your eyes throughout the day. These issues may often be confused with dry eye or allergy symptoms.  If you think you are suffering from allergic conjunctivitis, read this post, 'I want to scratch my eyes out'.

This Eye Care Tip of the Week was brought to you by Dr. Tiffany Lim. 

#2 | Always clean your contact lenses when you remove them not before you put them in

Eye Care Tip of the Week | #2

Always clean your contact lenses when you remove them not before you put them in.

If you wear monthly or 2-week disposable contact lenses, you should always rub and clean your lenses after you remove them, not before you put them back in. 

Why? Rubbing and cleaning your contact lenses at night helps to break down the protein and bacterial bio-films that deposit on the surface of the contact lens. The rubbing action allows the contact lens solution to better penetrate the contact lens matrix, resulting in a cleaner healthier contact lens.

By cleaning them at night, the contact lens solution is given an opportunity to build a protective film around the lens known as a hydrophilic or water loving layer which makes the contact lens less prone to dry out. Rubbing your contact lenses in the morning removes this protective film which can result in increased protein deposits on the lens and increased contact lens-related dry eye symptoms.

Rinsing your contact lens in the morning with fresh lens solution is ok, but try not to over handle them.

Check out our contact lenses page to learn more. 

This Eye Care Tip of the Week was brought to you by: Dr. Ross McKenzie