Tips to prevent your contact lenses from breaking
If you've found yourself here, it's probably because your contact lenses have broken and you wish it wouldn't have happened. Taking proper care of your contact lenses is a must, not just for your wallet but because of what can happen if you wear a broken contact lens. Your eye health should always come first.
At Lentiamo, in addition to offering top-quality products at the most competitive prices on the market, we aim to make sure your broken lenses don't cause you problems. That's why we've prepared this post with a series of tips to prevent the problem and to explain why contact lenses break.
We're the leading online optician in the industry. Our team of specialists will always make sure you're totally satisfied. We want to help you keep any eye care product in optimal condition so it doesn't cause you any harm.
Why do contact lenses break? The main reasons and how to avoid it
There are several reasons why broken contact lenses can cause problems, but first it's important to differentiate between two types of contact lenses based on their hardness: soft and rigid.
The hardness of contact lenses is usually associated with their recommended wearing time, so monthly contact lenses or extended wear lenses are usually the hardest, while soft lenses are usually daily wear lenses.
How to tell if a hard contact lens is broken
It's not very common to see broken rigid contact lenses as they have the necessary properties to stay perfectly lubricated inside the eye. However, this doesn't mean that they are immune from getting a very small crack in the lens.
Normally, these cracks are usually imperceptible to the naked eye, so you may wear a slightly damaged rigid lens without knowing it. The moment you start to feel discomfort on your cornea is when you will realise it's broken, and you should remove the broken contact lens as soon as possible to avoid eye damage.
Soft contact lenses are more fragile
On the other hand, broken contact lenses are much more common with soft lenses. The usual reason is that the contact lenses dry out when they're not in liquid, so they lack proper hydration. When you try to remove them from the eye, it is very common for them to break.
A dry contact lens will never be comfortable in your eye; in fact, we strongly advise against using them in this condition, as they will only cause damage to the surface of your eye. Dryness can also be caused if the case in which you store your lenses doesn't contain enough solution to keep them well lubricated. This is definitely another thing you need to be aware of.
Other external factors at play
Caution is recommended when wearing contacts in very hot or cold temperatures.
When temperatures warm up, lenses are more prone to drying out as heat evaporates the moisturising tear film more quickly. Indoor air conditioning also removes moisture from the air which can have a drying effect on lenses.
Conversely, cold weather will dry out eyes and lenses if there is low moisture in the air and when indoor heating systems are on. If you’ve ever noticed that your skin dries out in the colder winter months, your lenses might be drying out too.
Not only should you make sure they're well moisturised in their case, but you should also be careful when removing contacts (especially if you have long nails) and keep your hands clean. Use some eye drops to make it easier to remove them from your eyes, avoid rubbing them when they're in your eyes, and don't sleep with them in if this use is not specifically indicated.
Getting into these habits will save you a lot of hassle and following these simple tips is a great way to stop worrying about broken contact lenses!
What happens if you wear a broken contact lens?
As we've already mentioned, basically what happens if you wear broken contact lenses is that you expose yourself to possible damage to the cornea of your eye. You may do this unintentionally if you don't know that the contact lens is damaged, so you need to act as soon as you're aware to prevent a serious problem from arising.
This could include the following problems:
- Corneal infections and inflammation
- Sensitivity and hypersensitivity disorders
- Metabolic reactions
- Physical complications
- Discomfort and dryness
Why do contact lenses fold? How can they become unstuck?
If you haven't put enough solution in the case when you store your contact lenses, you may find the next time you open the case that the lenses are curled and stuck together at the ends. There's no need to worry because this doesn't mean you have to throw them away, but if you don't want to end up with broken lenses, you should follow these steps carefully:
Take one lens out of the case, put it in the palm of your hand (it's important your hands are clean, as always), squeeze your usual solution over it and very carefully move your index finger in circles over the lens. It should unfold without you having to force it apart.
How to fix a broken contact lens - can it be done or not?
As a final point of this post about broken contact lenses, if you break one, it's best not to try to fix it. Replace it with a new one instead. As we have been telling you throughout the article, the eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of the body, so any product in bad condition can cause infections or unwanted injuries.
And if you have any doubts, our main recommendation is to ask for help from specialists like us or ask your regular optometrist what you should do, as there is no one who knows how to help you better than experts in eye health.
Buy contact lenses at Lentiamo: up to 50% cheaper than regular opticians!
We hope that this new blog article has been helpful and that you now know everything you need to know about broken contact lenses. Don't forget that at Lentiamo you can find countless contact lens options from the best manufacturers and brands on the market, and you can get lenses at practically unbeatable prices.
We have items that are up to 50% cheaper than the average optician because we believe that quality eye care shouldn't mean wasting money. Everyone with vision problems should have easy access to cheap contact lenses and that is our speciality.
And for orders over £57, you'll get free shipping so you can save even more. Take a look at our wide range of products and get contact lenses tailored to your individual needs - enjoy them!
