What is the expiration date for contact lenses and how can I find out? There are two different types of them - until what date can the sealed packaging be stored and for how long can they be used after opening it.
- The date is printed on the foil lid on the factory-made container in year/month format. The standard shelf life is four years from the date of production. This is maximum; in fact, it ends the moment you open the package.
- The time of use after opening the original packaging depends on the wearing mode indicated. Once opened, the lenses cannot continue to be stored in the original container because the saline solution they were in is no longer sterile after opening. From now on, they can only be stored in a special multifunctional solution for storage and cleaning. It is sold separately and is poured into a special container, which also needs to be purchased. It has two compartments - for a pair of lenses, the right and left eyes. They may have different vision parameters and therefore need to be distinguished. The solution changes every day.
The foil cover indicates the following characteristics:
- Best before date
- Manufacturer and brand name
- Material
- Base curvature
- Diameter
- Optical power
- Other characteristics (axis and angle for toric lenses, etc.).
Using this information, it is worth checking whether the expiration date has expired and whether the characteristics match your recipe.
There are concepts of “wearing mode” and “wearing period”.
All about contact lenses
At the moment of forming a positive decision regarding wearing contact lenses, a person has a question about what he needs to know about this product. Contact lenses, like other categories of medical products, have a unique shelf life and shelf life, after which the product can no longer be used. Ignoring this aspect can provoke a number of health problems and cause visual impairment.
In order to avoid the risk of pathologies and complications of the visual organs, the manufacturer of contact lenses indicates the period during which the product is expected to be used. These operating parameters are given on the packaging and must be read by the consumer. If such information is ignored, there may be a lack of comfort while wearing lenses and a potential threat to health.
Contact lenses: what are they?
Contact lenses are thin, curved lenses that are placed over the tear film, thereby covering the surface of the eye. Lenses are often available in a clear version, but they can also be slightly tinted for ease of use. Lenses offered by modern manufacturers come in soft and hard formats.
How long can you wear each type of lens?
Lenses are distinguished by the period of their use. Let's look at each type in more detail.
One-day (one-time)
Daily contact lenses are considered the easiest to use.
A person puts them on in the morning after sleep, walks in them all day and takes them off in the evening. Immediately after removal, they are thrown away. The next day, the person opens a new package and also uses them throughout the day.
The main advantage of ephemera is complete sterility. The absence of the need for constant care and minimal exposure to the environment reduces the likelihood of infection of the structures of the eyeball.
Flaws:
- The need to constantly monitor their availability;
- High costs for regular purchases.
With each day of use, the amount of air that disposable lenses let through decreases and their density increases. This can lead to the development of pathological processes in the eyeball. It is not recommended to use one pair for more than 2-3 days.
"Weekly"
Weekly contact lenses include one- or two-week options, and this category also includes types that can be worn for up to a month.
They are characterized by increased permeability to oxygen. They can be worn without taking them off throughout their entire service life. However, doctors recommend, to reduce the development of diseases, to remove them at night and place them in a special container with a solution.
At the end of their service life, oxygen permeability decreases, so weekly lenses cannot be worn beyond their service life.
Long wearing
Long-term wear contact lenses can be divided into several groups: up to 3 months of use, up to six months, up to a year.
They are put on in the morning, removed in the evening and stored at night in a special container with a solution.
Long-term wear lenses are thicker than daily and weekly lenses (and allow less oxygen to pass through), and they are more likely to cause dry eyes and discomfort.
At the end of their service life, they reduce the amount of oxygen allowed into the eye and may become dull. Pathological microflora can also settle on them.
Night (orthokeratology)
Night contact lenses are worn every night before bed and removed after sleep.
They adhere tightly to the eye and change the distribution of the corneal epithelium, changing the curvature around the optical zone.
As a result, the refraction of light changes and now it is focused directly on the retina. Which allows you to see well.
Throughout the day, this effect remains. Night wear lenses should be worn every day before going to bed. You can read more about orthokeratology here.
There are options with a service life of one, two years, three years, depending on the brand and materials of manufacture.
How to properly store contact lenses?
For proper storage of contact lenses, a mandatory condition is assumed in the form of care rules using a special container. This device must be kept clean in the same way as lenses. Otherwise, the source of contamination may get into the correction product, thereby causing discomfort during the process of wearing it.
Among the basic rules of care and storage, it is customary to highlight the following:
• after placing contact lenses on the organ of vision, it is important to remove the solution from the container;
• it is necessary to rinse the container with a new portion of the disinfectant solution;
• the container should be left to air dry and placed on a clean cloth.
Long term lenses
They are ideal for travel, night work, day work. Suitable for people who forget or do not want to constantly remove products at night.
They are presented in the following types:
- two weeks;
- period;
- three months;
- six months.
These deadlines are maximum. They are indicated on the lens packaging. Depends on the material, technology, additional properties. It is recommended to take breaks. Periodically remove lenses at night to rest your eyes and clean the products. Two-week lenses are used for increased sensitivity. Well-known companies are Johnson&Johnson, Alcon, Bausch+Lomb.
No less popular are products for 30 days of wear, 3 months. They are the most economical.
When using continuous wear contact lenses, follow 2 rules:
- Change the contact lens before the end of the wearing period. This will prevent the development of complications, inflammation, and infections.
- Periodically remove your lenses at night by placing them in a special cleaning solution.
Pay attention to the best long-term contact lenses. The disadvantage of the Biofinity (USA) brand is its high cost
Silicone hydrogel is used for production, eliminating the use of special moisturizing agents. The maximum time of continuous use is 7 days, and you can wear it for a week without taking it off, or during the day and rest your eyes at night.
The disadvantage of the Biofinity (USA) brand is its high cost. Silicone hydrogel is used for production, eliminating the use of special moisturizing agents. The maximum time of continuous use is 7 days, and you can wear it for a week without taking it off, or during the day and rest your eyes at night.
The advantage of the model is its high level of breathability, which ensures comfortable use without the development of complications. Oxygen continuously flows to the cornea of the eye, preventing the development of hypoxia. In addition to correcting farsightedness and myopia, lenses from this concern correct astigmatism and age-related presbyopia.
British optical products Maxima 55 are of the hydrogel type, partially protecting the eyes from ultraviolet rays. They are opaque, colored “films” for quick searching and easy putting on.
Alcon (Switzerland) produces lenses with high breathability. They are treated with a special compound that protects the product from proteins and fats. This is a great choice for sensitive eyes.
Other popular optical products:
- Acuvue Oasys with Hydraclear plus - can be worn continuously for two weeks or during the day, the material provides additional hydration and good oxygen access to the cornea. They are comfortable in rooms where air conditioners and heating sources operate. The difference between the lenses is a high degree of protection from UV waves, tinting and an inversion indicator for easy putting on.
- Pure Vision 2 HD – designed for monthly flexible or continuous use, especially suitable for computer work, in artificial lighting conditions and for drivers. They provide high clarity of vision without distortion or glare.
- The Acuvue 2 model is designed for weekly use. It also has a blue tint and an inversion indicator, protects against UV radiation and lipid deposits.
It is important to remember the need to replace the container itself, namely at least once a month.
Shelf life of contact lenses in unopened packaging
After determining the shelf life of contact lenses, it becomes necessary to study the issue of their permissible shelf life. To create optimal conditions, you should maintain the integrity of the original packaging, take into account the temperature of the room in which the lenses are stored ( it should be within +4 - +45 ° C ) with maximum distance from exposure to sunlight. If the above conditions are met, the shelf life can reach a 2-year period.
Shelf life of contact lenses in opened packaging
The shelf life of contact lenses in open packaging depends on the conditions of placement and care. Often thin lenses have a relatively short lifespan. At such a moment, it is important to take into account the individual parameters of the person, namely the composition of the tear fluid, his ability to handle contact lenses and compliance with care rules. In most cases, the shelf life in this scenario is no more than a month .
How to extend the life of contact lenses?
In order to extend the life of contact lenses, you should follow these rules:
• before using the products, be sure to wash your hands with soap and then wipe your hands with a lint-free towel;
• the container must be filled exclusively with a fresh portion of the disinfectant solution;
• always follow a certain order when installing and removing contact lenses in order to avoid confusion with their location;
• carry out the cleaning procedure immediately after removing contact lenses from the eyes.
How long can you wear lenses and why should they not be worn out?
Contact lenses are a convenient and highly effective way to correct vision. But in order for them to be comfortable and safe for the eyes, they must be carefully looked after and the regime of their use must be strictly followed.
Research shows that the majority of contact lens users periodically violate their wearing regime and the timing of replacement, and this is fraught not only with discomfort and blurry images, but also with a decrease in visual acuity and the occurrence of eye infections.
How long can you wear contact lenses?
Manufacturers' recommendations regarding the wearing regimen and replacement period for contact lenses are carefully measured.
The fact is that each brand of lenses has its own resistance to protein deposits and dirt, as well as its own level of oxygen permeability of the material.
These indicators are extremely important for the normal use of lenses, the effectiveness of contact correction, and most importantly, for the health of patients’ eyes. Therefore, these recommendations cannot be neglected.
Daytime contact lenses must be removed in the evening and placed in fresh lens solution so that they are cleaned of all contaminants and moisturized overnight.
If you use daily contact lenses, throw them away after removing them; they should not be reused under any circumstances - their resistance to deposits is not designed for such long-term use. Hydrogel contact lenses are almost always designed for daytime wear because they allow little oxygen to pass through to the cornea.
You should absolutely not sleep in hydrogel lenses. If you wear them longer than the period specified by the manufacturer, hypoxia of the cornea will begin, which can lead to its overgrowing with blood vessels and swelling.
If you want to wear contact lenses longer, sometimes fall asleep in them, or if your work schedule does not allow you to wear lenses only 8 hours a day, then you should choose silicone hydrogel contact lenses with flexible or extended wear mode.
It is permissible to sleep in such lenses for 1-2 nights or even wear them for a certain period of time and forget about the need for care.
Silicone hydrogel lenses are stiffer than hydrogel lenses, but they allow enough oxygen to pass through to the eyes and do not disrupt the nutrition of the cornea when worn for a long time.
However, remember that after the expiration of the lenses, they must be replaced with a new pair!
What happens if you wear lenses longer than the replacement period?
During wear, various deposits (protein, lipid) form on contact lenses, dirt and particles from the environment adhere.
Modern lenses are made from a biocompatible material that is resistant to the formation of deposits, but after some time this resistance gradually decreases and even special cleaning systems will not be able to remove all deposits from the surface of the contact lens after its replacement period.
Deposits penetrate deep into the pores of the lens, begin to destroy its surface, make it uneven, and also create a favorable environment for the development of microorganisms and bacteria. Wearing contact lenses after the replacement period specified by the manufacturer risks the development of eye diseases.
The longer it takes to replace contact lenses, the higher the risk of new deposits forming and their impact on the wearing comfort and safety of the lenses. However, with careful lens care, regular cleaning with suitable solutions and cleaning systems, and timely replacement of contact lenses with fresh ones, the risk of infection or allergy is minimized.
To avoid unpleasant sensations and consequences dangerous to eye health, follow these basic rules:
- Wear contact lenses during the day no more than the manufacturer indicated (for day lenses, this is from 6 to 10 hours a day);
- Do not sleep with contact lenses unless the manufacturer allows you to do so;
- Always note when you put on a new pair of contact lenses and replace them with fresh ones in a timely manner;
- If you use daily contact lenses, be sure to remove them in the evening and place them in a fresh portion of contact lens cleaning solution - strictly follow the rules of hygiene and care for contact lenses;
- If unpleasant symptoms occur, immediately contact an ophthalmologist.
How to buy contact lenses
To buy contact lenses, you need to know the parameters of the lenses suitable for correcting your vision.
In the Focus optical salons (Ekaterinburg), you can have your vision checked by a professional ophthalmologist and find out the parameters of contact lenses that are suitable for you.
The salon's assortment includes contact lenses of different wearing modes and with different replacement periods from the leading ones, you can also buy all the necessary accessories for the care of contact lenses.
