Modern contact lenses have helped a vast number of people to maintain healthy vision and also preserve their self-confidence in visual appearance - which can often be reduced when wearing spectacles. Wearing disposable contact lenses can also lead to a reduction in the risk of eye infection, one of the 'hidden' benefits that the vast majority of users enjoy, along with carefree use.

However problems can arise, often the result of not understanding the proper hygiene and care requirements needed to maintain both ocular health, and the quality of the lenses. It is vitally important to clean and sterilise your lenses in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, since microbes will begin to grow on the lens surface as soon as it is removed from your eye. The cleaning and sterilisation processes therefore replace the eyes natural defences against infection, which your lenses are also provided when in place. For similar reasons, it is also very important to make sure that your hands are clean when fitting your lenses, since microbes from your skin will be transferred to the lens surface in the process.

Serious eye problems are relatively rare with, for example, ulcerative keratitis (ulcer of the cornea) affecting only 0.2% of monthly disposable users, reducing to 0.04% for daily disposable lens users. The risks of such severe problems will be increased if you do not follow the manufacturers and your opticians’ instructions, and like many illnesses smoking also factors in increased risk. To reduce these risk, it is very important that you have regular consultations with your optician (at the very least once per annum), and contact them as soon as possible if you experience problems - including any irritation / discomfort when wearing your lenses.

Any information we provide you on this website is intended for general guidance only. We can not stress enough the importance of conforming to your opticians and manufacturers instructions, and in no way does any information provided here supercede such instruction. However, with proper hygiene and care, your lenses should provide you with few, if any, problems. See our pages on 'problems to watch out for' and 'caring for your lenses' for more information.