Wear Contact Lenses? Why You Should Always Have a Pair of Backup Glasses
At Access Eye, we love to help our patients make the switch to contact lenses. Most people love the convenience, ease, comfort and invisibility that contacts afford. However, our optometrists still strongly recommend that patients who love their contact lenses keep a pair of glasses at home. These backup glasses offer you an option when contact lenses cannot be used, as in the following scenarios:
When It Is Not Healthy to Wear Contact Lenses Temporarily
Although contact lenses are very safe, doctors do advise against wearing them in certain situations. For example, if your eye has been injured or scratched, you should not wear contact lenses until it has healed. If your eye has developed an infection — perhaps from bacteria on a contact lens — you should also stop wearing contact lenses until that problem has cleared up. Finally, if allergens like pollen are irritating your eyes, wearing contact lenses may trap the allergens against the eye, further aggravating the situation. Again, wearing glasses at that time is preferable.
When Your Eyes Need a Rest
Human eyes are not made to wear contact lenses all the time. Thankfully, your eyes get a needed reprieve at night when the contacts come out, but many patients find that their eyes crave additional time sans contacts. With backup glasses, you can take a day every week or two to rest your eyes or take your contact lenses out a few hours before bedtime.
When You Run Out of Contacts or Contact Lens Solution
Even with the best intentions, you can sometimes either forget or become too busy to have all the supplies necessary for contact lenses. Whether you ran out of disposable contact lenses or need to pick up more contact lens solution to clean your reusable lenses, it is helpful to have glasses — not only to wear in the interim, but also so you can see well enough to procure the necessary supplies!
When You Must Suddenly Do Something at Night
On occasion, you may find yourself needing to address a situation in the middle of the night. Maybe your dog needs to be let out, maybe your child had a bad dream or maybe you woke up to a loud noise that needs to be investigated. Regardless, it is not convenient to put your contact lenses in first, particularly if your hope is to return to bed shortly thereafter. You will find it handy to have glasses by your bed in these scenarios.
