N.F. Burnett Hodd
RGP Contact Lenses – Instruction Manual
So that you get the very best from your new rigid gas permeable contact lenses (RGP’s), this manual has been prepared to give advice on inserting and removing your lenses, looking after them, and other useful tips and reminders.
General Hygiene
The most important thing to remember with contact lenses is that they are foreign bodies as far as your eyes are concerned. They are also the perfect vessels for bacteria and other bugs to infect your eye, if they are not kept scrupulously clean. Therefore lens cleanliness and hygiene are vital.
Before you handle your lenses or touch your eyes you must always wash your hands with un-perfumed soap and rinse them thoroughly. Dry them on a lint-free clean towel. Nails should be kept clean and short, with no sharp or jagged edges as this could damage the lens or your eyes. Hand creams should be avoided and lenses should not be contaminated with perfume or hairspray.
Your lens case should also be kept spotlessly clean, and replaced AT LEAST every 3 months. You should rinse your case thoroughly every morning after inserting your lenses, and left to air-dry.
Putting in Your Lenses
Set up an area, (we suggest your bathroom), for keeping your solutions and lens case. When you are putting your lenses in and taking them out, make sure you have lots of light and possibly a magnifying mirror to help you out. Lay a clean towel in front of you in case you drop the lens, or do it over a clean sink with the plug in.
These instructions explain how to insert the right lens using the right index finger- however there is no ‘best finger’ or method for putting your lenses in, use the one you feel most comfortable/ dextrous with. To insert the right lens:
- 1. Scoop the lens out of the case with your finger, being careful not to scratch it on the side of the case. Place it bowl-side-up on the tip of your right, dry index finger. The lens should be wet from the soaking solution and will stick to your finger.
- 2. Look straight into the mirror and use the first and second fingers of your left hand to hold the right upper lid firmly up and inhibit the blink. Watching in the mirror lift the lens up in front of your face and use your middle finger of your right hand to pull down the lower lid.
- 3. The lens should now be about an inch from your eye, with both eyelids held clear. Move the lens towards the cornea, and look at a spot in the mirror just below the lens. Put the lens gently on the middle of your eye, without releasing your lids.
- 4. Then gently release bottom and then the top lid, and blink gently.
- 5. If it doesn’t go in first time- rinse it with wetting solution and start again. If the lens feels very scratchy or uncomfortable, take it out, rinse it and start again.
The procedure grows easier with practice but success depends on holding the lids properly, inhibiting the reflex blinking of the eyes, and doing it without too much hesitation. It will get easier with practice!
Before you start on the other eye, ensure that the first lens is in place by covering the left eye and seeing if you can see through the lens. If the lens has decentred, locate it and recentre it (see relevant section). Now follow the same procedure to put in the other lens.
Removing The Lenses
There are 3 main methods of lens removal and your practitioner should have taught you the most suitable one for you. Remember it is just as important to wash your hand before removing the lenses as it is for putting them in!
- Method 1- The Blink Method
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- Stare into the mirror and open your eyes really wide.
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- Place your finger on the outer corner of your eyelids, whilst opening your eyes as wide as possible and quickly pull outwards, trying to keep the lids on the surface of they eye.
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- The lens edges will get caught between the eyelids and one quick blink will usually pop it out, either onto a clean cloth or, with a bit of practice, onto your free hand.
- Method 2 - The Two Finger / Tiddly Wink Method
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- Using the forefinger of each hand, put one on the middle of the top lid and one on the middle of the bottom lid (close to the lashes).
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- Move the lids apart to free the lens and then press with the fingers to hold the edge of the lids against the eye.
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- Push the lids together so that the lens flips out or just push the top lid down to force the lens to flip out over the bottom lid.
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Method 3 – The Suction Holder Method
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- First make sure that the lens is centred on your cornea.
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- The sucker is held by the thumb and index finger and touched gently on the centre of the lens whilst holding back the lids. The lens comes away with the suction cup.
- - Suction holders work best if the end is wetted with rinsing solution. Remember to keep the sucker clean! Don’t lick it!
Recentring a Decentred Lens
If your lens slips out of position, especially in the first few weeks or by rubbing your eye without thinking, recentring is simple, even if you are not sure where the lens has slipped.
If you know where the lens is:-
- Look straight in to the mirror and turn your whole head towards the side where the lens had lodged, whilst staring into the mirror the whole time, e.g. if the lens in under the lower lid, tilt your head down whilst still looking in the mirror.
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- Your eyes will now be looking up and the lens will become exposed. Now pull the lid back at the point where the lens is lodged and use the lid margin as a pusher to push the lens back into the eye’s centre.
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- The most difficult lens to recentre is the one stuck in the inner corner, nearest the nose. There is no eyelid there to help push, so you have to fully turn your head so you are looking away from the lens, and lay your index finger against the inner corner. When you next look towards the lens it is forced to recentre.
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- Shut the eye concerned keeping the other eye open. Roll your eyes down and use your thumb and three fingers to try and feel for the lens through your eyelid. Gently press your fingertips onto you eyelids as far out to the edges as you can.
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- Now slowly bring them together and this should pinch up your eyelids and pull them away from the centre of your eye. The lens should be trapped in the middle.
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- If this fails, look down and feel through the upper lid for a lens lodged at the very top of the eye, and gently nudge it downwards.
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- Finally, if you cannot find it, is it actually in your eye? If it is lost up at the top you can leave it there, even when asleep, until you can get to your practitioner the next day.
Looking After Your Lenses
After putting in your lenses in the morning, rinse the lens case out with tap water and let it air-dry on a clean tissue. It’s then ready for you to put your lens away when you take it out. Your practitioner will recommend to you the best solution for you. The main types are: 1) multipurpose solutions (e.g. Menicare+ or Total), where one solution is used for cleaning, rinsing and storing, and 2) two step solutions (e.g. Boston) where you use a separate cleaner and storage/rinsing solution.
To clean your lenses:
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- Place the lens in the palm of your hand, with the inside of the lens facing up, like a little bowl.
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- Place a drop of cleaning solution OR your multipurpose solution on the lens and rub it gently with one finger for around 20 seconds.
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- If you are using a separate cleaner, rinse this off thoroughly with saline before storing the lens in soaking solution in the correct side of your lens container. If you are using a multipurpose solution, rinse the lens a little with the same solution an store it in the same solution again.
Progent Cleaning
- If you have plasma-coated lenses or your lenses are tending to get a filmy build up on them, Progent cleaner may be recommended:
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- Place lenses in the lid of the special Progent case, and pour Solution A and Solution B into the case. Place the lid of the case and shake for 20 seconds.
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- Leave the cleaner to work for 30 minutes.
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- Rinse well with saline or Menicare+, then store overnight in fresh Menicare+ before wearing. This part is vital in order to revitalise the lens surface after Progent.
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- Your practioner will advise how often you need to carry out Progent cleaning.
General Points to Remember:
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1) Always follow a sensible routine, ideally at the same workstation. When inserting and removing your lenses, get into the habit of inserting/removing the right eye first, (or the left if you prefer), so you don’t get them mixed up.
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2) Never take lenses out in poorly lit conditions.
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3) Always put the plug in where sinks are involved!
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4) Never take the lenses out in the wind or whilst in a swimming pool.
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5) Carry a spare case with you at all times.
Wearing Times:
As your eyes are not accustomed to having a lens in, they will take time to adapt to contact lenses. Start with a maximum of 3 hours on the first day, and then increase this by an hour every day. You can eventually build a maximum wearing time of 15+ hours (depending on the oxygen permeability of your specific lenses).
It is quite important that you do put them in every day initially, as each day you don’t put them in will be a step back in the desensitisation process. If for any reason your wearing schedule is disrupted (for example due to a lost lens, or if you get a cold or an eye infection), the general rule is that for every day you have not worn your lenses, reduce your wearing time by one hour and build up again.
We will want to see you quite regularly initially, to ensure you are getting on with the lenses, that they fit well and are the optimal prescription, that you are handling them properly and that they are not adversely doing any harm to your eyes. Sometimes during the first few weeks of fitting, when your prescription is still being finalised, we may change certain parameters of the lenses and order you new ones, in order to achieve optimum vision and comfort.
What Sort Of Problems Could Arise?
- Misty or Hazy Vision, particularly towards the end of the lens wearing time. If this occurs make a note of when it happens (e.g. indoors, when driving etc) and when it clears again. Make an appointment with the practice to get advice.
- Red eyes after wearing lenses. This could be a normal reaction but is usually a sign that you are over wearing the lenses or that your eyes are dry. Make an appointment for a check up.
- Red eyes before you put the lenses in. Combined with yellow mucus, this could be an eye infection and should be treated by your doctor. You should consult your Optometrist before resuming lens wear and throw away the current lenses (usually), solution and case.
- White spot on the cornea and redness. This is likely to be a corneal ulcer and you should see your optometrist on the same day for advice. You may need referral to a doctor for treatment. If you can’t get to your optometrist, go to the nearest eye casualty. Stop lens wear immediately.
- Frequent red eye reactions. This could be caused by an allergy or a toxic reaction to your solution. Consult your Optometrist.
Serious Potential Problems:
- Corneal infection
Severe corneal ulcers caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or acanthamoeba. This can result from licking your lenses, storing your lenses in tap water, not washing your hands before touching your lenses, and sleeping in your lenses. The symptoms include extreme sharp pain, redness, watering, sensitivity to light, and blurring of vision. If you experience any of these symptoms you should come in to the practice immediately or preferably go to Eye Casualty.
- Serious corneal abrasion
This can result from careless insertion/removal of the lens, from a foreign body caught between your eyes and the lens, or from inserting a lens that has not had a peroxide-based cleaning solution rinsed off/neutralised properly. The eye will feel scratchy and sore, probably quite red and watery too. You should remove the lens and come into the practice as soon as possible.
It is important to stress that these problems can occur with any type of lens, but are rare. Figures from eye hospitals suggest that the incidence of serious damage to the eye from contact lenses is about 1 in 100,000. Obviously it pays to be careful and if you are worried about any suspicious symptoms consults your practitioner urgently.
8 Golden Rules:
- NEVER sleep in your lenses (unless we says it’s ok!)
- NEVER lick your lenses! Yuk!
- NEVER let your lenses get in contact with tap water!
- ALWAYS wash your hands before inserting and removing your lenses!
- NEVER swim in your lenses without a mask or goggles!
- ALWAYS keep your lens case pristinely clean and replace it every month!
- ALWAYS clean and care for your lenses as advised by your practioner!
- NEVER wear your lenses if your eyes feel sore or are very red!