Contact lens beginner tips and tricks
First things first: get a prescription
Choose the perfect wearing pattern for you
It's time to order
- Power: This is the level of vision correction you need to see clearly.
- Base curve: The measurement of your eye's natural curvature, so that the lenses sit securely on your eye. This is usually set by the manufacturer, but there may be more than one choice.
- Diameter: How wide the contact lenses should be.
- Cylinder: A number in measures of 0.25, this is the extra amount of vision correction needed to treat astigmatism.
- Axis: This is a number between 0 and 180 that tells you what angle your correction needs to be.
- Addition: The amount of correction needed for near sight.
- Dominant eye: Your dominant eye will be labelled with a 'D'.
Putting in and taking out your lenses
- First, wash your hands thoroughly and dry them with a lint-free towel, so you can get the best grip.
- Then gently lift the lens from the packet onto your index fingertip
- Hold your upper eyelid up while pulling down on your lower lid and place the contact lens over your iris (the coloured part of the eye that surrounds the pupil). If you find this tricky, try looking to the side and place it onto your sclera (the white part).
- Help it find its place by looking up and down, and blinking strongly - this also helps remove any air bubbles that might have formed. Once it feels comfortable, repeat the steps above for your other eye.
Daily life with your lenses
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