The speed with which modern medical science makes advances goes a long way in improving the quality of life of an untold number of people. In almost no area is this more clearly seen than in eye health. Advances in contact lenses in particular have made it easier than ever to see clearly and stay comfortable at the same time.

That comfort, however, does not come without responsibilities. Many people who wear contacts neglect to follow the best practices in maintaining them, and their eye health can suffer for it. Below, you'll find a guide to some common mistakes of contact lens users, and some ways you can avoid unnecessary eye exams.

Hand Washing

The first step in making sure your contacts, and therefore your eyes, are clear of contaminants is making sure you handle them correctly. Often, contact users pop their lenses in and out without much consideration for how that handling affects the lenses.

Not only do dirty hands risk damaging your contacts, they also come with an increased risk of infection. Your hands come in close contact with a variety of possible germ and dirt sources throughout the day. To protect your vulnerable eyes, you should be sure to thoroughly wash your hands before inserting and removing your lenses.

Clean Solution

Both habit and speed can be enemies of the day-to-day contact wearer. This tends to manifest inside your contact case, as many people don't replace their solution as needed. In fact, most manufacturers suggest a daily change out of contact solution, but many contact wearers leave their solution to sit for days or weeks on end.

Keeping a stock of the solution that's recommended for use with your lenses is very important. If you find yourself having constant issues with this kind of maintenance, you may also consider switching to daily disposable contacts that come packaged in their own solution and don't require as much attention.

Timely Replacements

An old adage claims that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this is certainly true when it comes to your eye health. One of the best ways to prevent infections and stay ahead of the curve is to replace your lenses as suggested. Contact lenses are designed to break down after a certain period, and this degradation can lessen the quality of your eyesight and increase the risk of strain. Keeping old lenses also risks germ build up, so it's important to make sure you're rotating them as suggested.