It’s been rightly remarked that “Eyes are the tunnel to your heart.” While applying eye makeup in itself requires special skills and patience, the job becomes even tougher when you are donning contact lenses as well. The constant fear of scratching your lenses with the makeup applicator, or contaminating the membrane with the product, or causing harm to your eyes is always there. Eye makeup and lenses is a combination that requires extra effort and care, and so following are some pearls of wisdom to keep your experience hunky-dory:

Contact lens should be touched only with clean and dry hands – Consider it a golden rule that you must wash your hands with soap and water before applying contact lenses, and thereafter they must be dried with a dry towel as any type of water can be harbinger of germs to your eyes and that can result in serious eye infections.

Cosmetics should be applied only after the lenses are put in – In order to avoid any kind of infection that might occur from the product present on your hands, you must apply lenses beforehand only. That way if the lens gets contaminated while applying, it can cause irritation to your eyes.

Eye makeup must apply sparingly on the outer lid only and not the intricate water line – Never put the eye makeup inside your eyes, it should be applied sparingly on the outer lid only so as to prevent contact with the lenses. When applying eyeliner, only line half of your lower lash lines along the outer corner of your eyes to open them up. The waterline of the eye is where the eye glands (meibomian glands) produce oil. If these glands get clogged with makeup debris, not only will they get infected, but styes will become more frequent.

Never use water or saliva on your makeup applicator – Any non-sterile solution like water or saliva can be a source of germs which if gets in to your eyes can affect your eyes leading to eye infection, swelling and redness, and so your makeup applicator should never come in contact with saliva or water. Keeping your makeup applicator clean is a good practice to keep infection causing germs at an arm’s distance.

Never apply eye makeup to already infected eyes – In case your eyes are already red or swollen or infected, no eye makeup should be applied in that case. If you observe a pattern of infections after using a certain product, stop using it and buy a different product only after due consultation with your ophthalmologist.

Remove your eye makeup only after removing eye lenses – It is considered good practice to remove your lenses before removing your makeup, no matter whether is waterproof or gentle makeup remover, all pose an equal risk to your lenses of contamination and scratching. Chances are if you not do so, you might end up getting makeup onto your hands and then that in contact with your lenses would pollute it.

Use hypoallergenic and fragrance-free makeup products - Products that contain oil, fragrance, dyes or anything that could get stuck or adhere to contact lenses should be avoided.  Presence of preservatives like mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulphate, and diazolidine urea in makeup though are known to remove it effectively but are a constant irritant to your eyes and so they should not be used. On staying there for longer durations, they can cause harm to your eyes. 

Sitting at the dining table, refusing to eat veggies is something that resonates with everyone. The argument presented by elders thereafter is also one omnipresent phrase “Veggies will make you strong, all superheroes eat veggies you know.”  With time, while very few of us developed liking for veggies and so the statement to persuade us changed to how veggies help you in various ways; Spinach and carrots helps you see better, lentils help you build your memory, so on and so forth. While it’s for a fact that no one became a superhero after eating veggies, we did grow old to later learn how various veggies actually help us in ways more than one. 

While there are no direct supplements that completely correct your already degraded vision except the corrective wear which includes Glasses and contact lenses, there are foods that contain certain vitamins and minerals is rich amounts that can help you have a good vision or prevents its further deterioration. These vitamins and minerals can be consumed in the form of supplements on recommendation of your optometrist or otherwise you can consume food items that have these vitamins in large quantities present in them. Few of them are as follows along with the sources that contain them in abundant amounts: 

Vitamin A – Vitamin A and vision have a friendship like no other. Carrots which are considered great boon for eyes contain a protein named beta carotene in huge amounts and vitamin A. These two helps in developing a solid vision. Besides carrot, red and yellow peppers, oily fish, green leafy vegetables, apricots and mangoes are some foods that have copious amounts of Vitamin A present in them. Consuming these foods in your diet can be extremely beneficial for your vision, but the question in what amounts. Does it imply that eating carrots 3 times a day all week would give you a vision like Dr. Strange, sadly that’s not true although it has high chance of giving you a red eye. So, eating these foods in adequate amounts in your diet can really accentuate your ocular health.

Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a health powerhouse, present in the tastiest food items, vitamin C helps you with so many things, from immunity to allergies to vision to hair, the list in unending. Basically, present in citrus fruits like Oranges, lemons, kiwi, strawberries and many such delectable fruits and vegetables including crunchy broccoli and peppers. Vitamin C helps in slowing down macular degeneration and sedates the growth of cataract.

Vitamin E – Vitamin E helping its fellow vitamin C in providing anti-oxidants to the body, also serves a great deal in slowing down cataract and macular degeneration. Mainly found in nuts like almonds, sunflower seeds and vegetables like red bell pepper, spinach and pumpkin, it is also present in abundant amounts wheat germ oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil.

Other Nutrients – Other nutrients like rhodopsin, lutein and zeaxanthin present in various vegetables also help a great deal in maintaining a good vision by providing enough anti-oxidants to your body. They help against age related vision problems and decelerate macular degeneration. These carotenoids are present in vegetables like carrot, spinach, kale etc. 

God gave us the gift of vision, and doctors gave us the way to correct it in the form of lenses. While the advantages of these lenses are extremely tempting, be it the appealing looks or the better and wider vision or the overall comfort in terms of handling or storage. But this clear vision and comfortable experience doesn’t seem to last for much time for many people. 

In case you are one of those people, consider these tips of ours to put an all-time end to these moments of discomfort are:

·       Don’t use them after the expiry date – Like all the other things in this world, lenses too come with an expiry date. Some last for a day, some for a week and some for a whole month, obviously the cost varies with time but so does amount of care that it requires in handling. Some people are often tempted to save on a few bucks and try to use the lenses after the expiration date, hence trying the stretch the shelf life of their contact lenses. These practices can often result in soreness, redness or infection in eyes. So, it’s very important to dispose of your lenses after the expiration date as told by your eye care professional and buy a fresh pair of contact lenses in case you need them. This timely replacement can save you from a lot of pain and suffering in the long run.

·       Use the eye care products recommended by your eye care professional - Mostly your lens wearing experience is hampered by deposition of lipids or proteins on the membranes of your lenses. These exist naturally in your tears, but when your eyes get dry due to variety of reasons, they get deposited out on your membrane. Hence, it’s strictly advisable to clean your reusable before and after every use with a sterile contact lens solution. Make sure you buy your lenses and your contact lens solution after recommendation from your eye care professional only. Besides these, any product that you use for your eyes, be it any eye drops, or ointments etc., make sure your doctor knows about them.

·       Don’t ignore your allergies – Many a times what happens is lens discomfort and discontinuation of lens wear is caused by some seasonal allergens leading to allergies like Hay fever etc. The symptoms for eye allergy and eye infection more than often mimic each other which includes watery eyes, itchiness, sensitivity to light, redness, grittiness and eyelid swelling. If you experience any of these, it’s important to tell your eye doctor because he can diagnose the real cause of your suffering. If your doctor confirms that seasonal allergies are the culprit for your discomfort, you’ll likely be given strategies to avoid allergens or one of several available medications. If allergens are accumulating on your contact lenses, your doctor may also suggest switching to a daily disposable lens or trying ocular lubricants and cold compresses to help minimize your symptoms when the allergies are particularly troublesome.

In the world that we live in today, where there is cut-throat competition, hyper stressful situations, and hustled lifestyle, it’s our body that gets affected the most. With our eyes wide open all day long and even in the later hours of the night, the unprecedented toll that it takes on our vision is undeniable. We end up developing one vision disorder or the other. Hence to correct them, people often wear contact lenses on daily basis as a corrective measure or even as a precautionary one at times.  But besides that, the real impact that contact lenses have on our appearance and our day-to-day lifestyle is not something that is explored much. For starters, obviously, it gives you an overall appearance that is more appealing and helps you to build self-confidence. Around 80% of contact lens wearers feel a spike in their self-confidence because they find themselves more attractive and appealing than before. But that surely is not it, besides good looks and elevated self-esteem there are other things as well that are impacted by the advent of contact lenses.

People who wear contact lenses enjoy not only a clearer vision but also a wider one with no hindrances. They feel more comfortable with the lenses as they don’t have to keep track of it where they left it the last time or cleaning them that often, or constantly trying to keep them in place in case of physical activity. The benefits of contact lenses are so well experienced that about 90% of its users felt a surge in quality of life after the switch from glasses to contact lenses. They realized how it affected their day-to-day activities, not only were they more confident but also better organized and very much at ease after the advent of contact lenses in their lives. 

Even athletes or people who are in a profession that requires more physical activity also felt a huge relief and considers it a blessing in disguise because of how well it is to manage with all the commotion. With spectacles, it’s extremely tough to retain a hold of them and keep the vision unobstructed for the most part of the time. And so, lenses play a major role in providing them with a corrected vision with little to no obstructions.

It’s rightly said that your first impression is the last impression and so to present your best self, it’s very pertinent for you to put your best step forward and leave no stone unturned in creating a lasting mark, for that no matter if it’s a date or a job interview or any other meeting, it's important you feel confident and look the same. Lenses play a major role in carrying that vibe forward, A good eye contact is something that can be a deal maker in the success of a meeting, and so lenses help you achieve that efficiently.

It’s rightly said that “One must go with the flow”, one has to follow the course of time to live an unobstructed life. Just like our body, our eyes grow with age too. So, with increasing age our requirements in a contact lens changes as well. Following are the features that one must look for in a contact lens with growing age:

·       For a student - The life of a student involves a lot of focused work, long hours of studying, working on your aesthetics so and so forth. One as a student must be really comfortable in his/her lenses all day long and so generally daily wear lenses are considered the most appropriate for them, as they can be disposed of after each use, requires little to no care in storage, can be easily carried and are most convenient to use. As a student, you go through a phase in life where your aesthetics generally mean a lot to you, it is the time in your life where you can experiment with your looks, try out new styles and go all blunt about it. This is the time to try out various tinted contact lenses which gives a unique colour to your iris. Since students of today’s time like to live a pretty hustled life, so they must opt for those lenses which provides least discomfort and are thin and easy to wear. Silicone hydrogel lenses are a perfect choice for this age bracket as it provides an extra 50% moisturization, keeping them hydrated for longer times and thus preventing eye dryness.

·       For a working adult – With advent of technology in almost every facet of life, unequivocally all professions require working in front of screen for hours at a stretch. And so, as a working adult, while one gets accustomed to the practice of wearing lenses overtime, one must go for lenses that block the UV light radiations from entering the eye. With growing age, your vision at times deteriorates so using the powered lenses with UV light blocker membrane can help you keep your vision in check. As adults, with so much already in one’s plate, the person strives for least discomfort.  For such purposes, silicone-hydrogel lenses which can be wore for a complete month provide safe, effective, and comfortable vision correction. Due to their hyper-oxygen permeable and minimal pathogen binding to the lens surface or cornea, the pose the chances of least infections are considered most comfortable in prolonged use as your lens adapts to shape of your eye ball overtime. They can be easily cleaned with a proper sterile lens care solution. This result in healthy corneas and less infections.

·       For older adults – As time passes, our body grow old with it too. And so our eyes have to bear the brunt as well. The changes are not physically visible but our deteriorating vision is a constant reminder of our true numeric age when it comes to eyes. The natural lenses, also called crystalline lenses fitted inside our eyes with time find it tough to variate the focal length with changing distances to form a clear image which results in a condition called ‘Presbyopia’. It can be understood as a combination of far sightedness and near sightedness, where not only the objects situated afar seem unclear but also those which are situated very near look hazy. For such conditions of vision, one can opt for either Monovision, where your one eye is prescribed with a lens for near vision and the other one for distance vision.  So as a combination, you get a corrected vision for both of your issues. Monovision is still prescribed today, but for some contact lens wearers it’s not optimal because it prevents your two eyes from working as well together and may lead to problems such as reduced vision performance and depth perception. Or otherwise, you can opt for multifocal lenses, this is a rather advanced technology to monovision, here the lens has multiple zones of vision correction than just one, hence allowing you to achieve a better, more clear vision, with both of your eyes working together in perfect coordination to treat both the problems of vision together through just one contact lens prescription.

The role of contact lenses in fixing eyesight problems has hardly been all-encompassing. The kids wearing lenses always thought that they would never have to wear a pair of glasses ever. However, reality turned most down as age set in. With age, a variety of eyesight difficulties arise. From short distance problems to far away visibility, every range of sight gets affected with age.

The young people prefer to wear the best silicone hydrogel contact lenses, and they always assume that the glasses have become insignificant forever. But for reading and performing fine works like sewing, glasses become a necessity after a certain age. Hence, contact lenses have so far been an age-specific solution for the eyesight issues. 

From reading the newspaper to following the instructions written on a medicine bottle, close vision helps much. With age, the close vision starts to become feeble, and you find the menu, tags, and instruction manuals hard to read. 

Also, plenty of people struggle to figure out the letters displayed at a distance. The close vision, distant vision and the intermediate vision altogether start to deteriorate after a time. This is when you find contact lenses grossly inappropriate. And you turn to the glasses you once thought would never be required. 

The New Age Hydrophilic Lens

Science and technology have progressed in a never before pace over the last few decades. One of the advancements that have made the world of ophthalmology think twice about the relevance of the contacts is the invention of hydrophilic lenses. While most people still think that lenses are for a young age, the reality is gradually drifting towards an age-neutral vision correction. 

With the latest and advanced lenses, people can now see objects kept at varying distances without any hassle. The fine construction of these lenses ensures a vision correction taking every eyesight range into account. 

One of the primary problems with the lenses remains the dryness at the end of the day. Most of the contacts tend to become dry when worn for a long time. But this is undoubtedly a difficulty for the wearer. If you are on the move or in office, time can be a problem for you to wear lenses. Discomfort and itchiness might generate from wearing dry lenses for a long time. 

Also, this can be a source of considerable cornea damage. Hence, scientists, clinicians, and ophthalmologists have long been searching for a solution that can put the lens wearers out of this risk. After relentless endeavours, the scientists developed an impressive variety of lenses made of silicone hydrogel.   

High level of oxygen permeability is a must to make silicone hydrogel contact lenses superior. The amazing fact about our eyes is that the corneas do not receive oxygen from the blood. The cornea does not have any blood vessels. 

It takes the necessary oxygen directly from the atmosphere. A shortage of oxygen supply can substantially damage the cornea, sometimes even beyond repair. Hence, a lens that allows enough oxygen to the eyes is a must. 

The latest hydrophilic lenses surely offer better hydration than even the best silicone hydrogel contact lenses. However, a low modulus is what a lens must always have. Regardless of advancements in the technologies used to make lenses, the dropout rate for lens wearers remained the same over the last few decades. With this hydrophilic variety taking care of the issues, wearers can now be sure of a comfortable experience for a long time.  

Even though the silicone hydrogels took care of most of the excellent quality lens requirements, it failed to offer optimum oxygen permeability. Hence, the scientists kept on altering the monomer combinations to arrive at a better solution. 

The hydrophilic lenses seem to be the solution the researchers have been looking for so far. Besides maintaining the other requirements, it has also offered a substantial permeability level. The softness of these lenses is another aspect that makes it way more superior. 

The best way to manufacture lenses once seemed to combine silicone polymers and hydrogel material. This would have balanced the permeability factor and the wettability aspect at the same time. 

However, this process of fusing the two very different components together turned out to be very expensive. Hence the commercial viability of these lenses seemed feeble. The introduction of new silicone hydrogel contact lenses is surely a revolutionary thing. One of the best things about these lenses is that it offers the wearers the utmost comfort and hydrated experience. Also, these lenses offer a crystal-clear vision. 

These lenses have liberated the people with visual impairments the freedom to say goodbye to their glasses forever. 

Lenses are evolving as the most popular choice over glasses day by day. With lots of research and innovations happening around the corner, the future has a lot to offer to deal with the common visual challenges. 

As we are approaching the end of the year, it waits for parties for upcoming Christmas and New Year and entertainment. If you are a lens wearer, you must know how frustrating it can be to wear a lens for a long time as it makes your eyes dry. It can be challenging to be at the party without a lens, and therefore, it is important to have a clean lens. It helps maintain the good health of your eyes without drying it when attending late-night parties. So, if you have already suffered due to a lens problem last year, silicone hydrogel lenses bring you the best lens options for safe and comfortable eyes. 

Take Care of Lens When Wearing Make-up

So, all set for the Christmas party and ready to deck up for the evening? You need to be extra careful when putting on your makeup, especially eye makeup with your lens. After you wash your hands, do not hold the lens until your hands dry out completely. If you correctly place your lens, it shall help put your eye makeup correctly for the Christmas party. 

Try not to use fibre or old mascara for your eyes as it can make your eyes clumsy, resulting in discomfort and messy situations when wearing the lens. Try avoiding products with oil as it can be problematic for your eyes. 

Moreover, as you have to stay with the lens for long on Christmas Eve, try to use light makeup for your eyes. Even if you are running out of time, try to go slow with your eye makeup. It will prevent messing up and unnecessary drying up of your eyes in the middle of the party. 

Wash Hands before Opening Lens 

This is a must that you should follow amidst the party as it shall help maintain good eye hygiene, without any irritation in your eyes. It is better to carry an antibacterial gel or wet wipes to wash your hands thoroughly and dry them before opening or changing the lens. This helps to scrub dirt from hands and fingertips before you touch the lens. 

Try to Carry EyeLids Wipes 

It is the Christmas Party night, and if you cannot resist putting on your favourite liner and eyeshadow, do not forget to carry eyelids wipes. The wipes prevent eyes from drying and keep them fresh. The wipes are easy to carry along with a spare lens when attending an overnight party on Christmas Eve. 

In this regard, Miacare contact lenses could be a viable option you can look for. Please do not ignore the safety measures even when using this quality lens to protect your eyes. It is worthy of investing in such quality lenses,which will go for a long time. 

How Can Quality Lens Prevent Eye from Irritation?

Having problems with your eyes is common for lens wearers. This may happen when you are constantly looking at bright light without wearing specs, lens or equivalent. It can harm your eyes, causing irritation or discomfort. This is also the case when handling crackers at parties. Before exposure to a powerful light source for a long time, it is better to protect your eyes with the correct lens.

The lens wearer should know about precautions when wearing it the first time and attending any party. It shall help them not to get puzzled when the lens is irritating eyes. 

How Careful Precautions Can Help One Maintain Lens?

People wearing lenses should be careful when attending parties for a long time. This is of great importance when you have given up your glasses and just started to use the best silicone hydrogel contact lenses. When lighting up crackers or staring at powerful highlights, this quality lens will help and be comfortable for one’s eyes. 

Other Benefits to Maintain Your Lens  

·       Do Not Use Water to Wash Lens 

Water from shower water, rainwater, and tap water may contain bacteria and end up in your lens. When you wear this lens for a long time with the bacteria, it can cause your eyes. As you will be wearing the lens for a long time at the Christmas Party, there is a chance of this infection to your eyes. So, it is better to avoid washing your eyes with random water. 

·       Never Make the Mistake of Sleeping Wearing your Lens 

Never sleep with your lens on as you can harm the sensitive layer of your eyes. With the lens, less oxygen can pass through your eyes, and it is not good when sleeping during the night. Take it off before sleeping and then put it on the next day before you step for a day’s long schedule. 

The lens is essential at a Christmas Party when you prefer them over glasses. To avoid seasonal sparkles at the party, it is better to wear coloured contacts. It will be suitable for your eyes. Irrespective of the colour of the lens you get, make sure you care about wearing it and taking it off. Also, you need to be careful when taking it off or changing the lens in the middle of a party or any crowded place. 

Wrapping it up 

Yes, you heard it right, it’s that time of the year again. It's Christmas time, with Santa Claus coming to home and merry all around, everything and everyplace is a sight to behold. No one in their right mind would risk the amazing scenery all around. And our Christmas gift to you will be the golden advice to you to get stocked up with your contact lenses. With snow all around, and buildings lit with lights, there are many other reasons for which you must order your contact lenses before the festive season starts:

1.       Imagine yourself being a part of all the pictures with your glasses on, with light reflecting off it and you not getting a good picture to put up on your social media handles. Don’t worry, we got you covered. Order good quality lenses with silicone hydrogel membrane and slay it all around with your amazing pictures.

2.       The dreadful act opening a wrong present because you failed to read the name correctly is another nightmare no one would want to have. The look of sheer horror on the faces of your relatives realizing how your long sightedness cost them their Christmas cheer is not the most amazing look you’d expect. Keep your gifts close and your eye lenses closer to prevent any kind of confusion.

3.       If there’s one thing I can bet on that everyone looks forward to is without a doubt decoration of the Christmas tree. Not being able to be part of this team activity because you lack vision or find it difficult to see things properly can really be a bummer. Make sure you are all jacked up with your lenses before the festivities begin.

4.       It’s always a fun time when you watch things together like a big happy family no matter whether it’s Home Alone, Elf, The Muppet Christmas Carol or Love Actually, chances are you probably know it off by heart. But that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable to indulge in your familiar favourites at this time of year. Don’t miss out on any of the fun by squinting to see the screen, put your contacts in and enjoy the magic of the movies.

Also, staring at a TV screen for extended periods of time can cause discomfort to your eyes by drying them out. So, remember to blink plenty and to take regular breaks from viewing.

5.       With lights all around, while the scenery is pretty amazing, over exposure to it can cause eye irritation and pain. It’s therefore advised to keep your contacts around, especially those which can provide you with UV protection.

6.       Meeting relatives and going home during the vacation hands down the best experience of this time. With chilling winters all around, don’t let the cold air fog your eyeglasses and obstruct your vision, wear contact lenses instead and sign up for a great time ahead.

7.       No time is as good as the family time. When the whole of the family comes together, there’s lot of chat sessions till late night at a stretch. If you want to be a part of it without anything troubling you and your eyes, it is advisable to keep your eyes moisturized at all times. Having premium quality silicone hydrogel lenses with high hydrophilicity and longer wearing hours can really be a boon for your eyes. 

8.       Many families have a tradition of playing games during these times to have a gala time and invoke a sense of togetherness as a part of their self-made traditions. If you have a family like that, you’d better be ready with lenses by your side because it won’t be easy to play with those large glasses on so buckle up and be prepared in advance to in it and let nothing hinder you in the sweet ride to victory.