Eye Care 101

Or, How To Keep Your Eyes Safe And Healthy

Many people ask if they can use their eyeglass prescription to purchase colored or cosmetic contact lenses.

You cannot! Please, stop and think about this for a moment.

Why not, you say? Because your eyeglass prescription and a contact lens specification is not the same thing.

For while both kinds of prescriptions measure your eyesight defects - a contact lens prescription also measures the exact curves and shape of your eyeball. The contact lens has to fit you better than a glove does.

So, you really do need to be examined and fitted for all contact lenses.

Some cosmetic and colored contact lenses are sold without a prescription. But what they do is assume a particular fit will work for you, for example, a standard base curve of 8.6/median and a standard diameter of 14.5.

This may be fine in most cases, but what if you're not one of those "standard" cases? Do you really believe that "one size fits all"? Because I sure don't.

And while we're talking about eye care, I'll raise this warning again because it is so important:  "Never, lend your contact lenses to anyone. And never, ever, use someone else's lenses in your eyes."

Your eyes are too precious to risk it. Your health is too precious as well.

Lastly, you need to be shown how to care for and handle your contact lenses; otherwise you can damage the lenses or get an eye infection.

If you have a friend who uses prescription contact lenses, ask them to show you; or, better still, ask your registered eye-care practitioner to show you how to care for them and your eyes properly.

You will be glad you took the trouble. I promise you that.