All contact lenses have an expiry date. You should always be aware of your contact lens’ expiry date. The cases of the soft contact lenses are packaged with a foil cover that seals the container and is filled with non-preserved buffered saline. This is usually done to keep the lens fully hydrated until they are opened by the user.
The foil cover displays information like contact lens brand name, lens material name, the manufacturer’s name, lens power, lens diameter, the expiration date, etc. the expiration date is usually written in yyyy/mm format. For example an expiry date of 2019 /08 means that the lenses are safe to wear up to August 2019.
If you don’t understand much about your contact lenses’ expiration date, we have come up with some guidelines to help you.
Understanding your contact lenses’ expiry date:
Even though soft lenses are sealed in airtight containers, it’s possible that with time, the seal of the container might get compromised and this may lead to contamination of the saline solution and lens that are inside. The expiry date on your contact lens prescription is the last date that your eye doctor has authorized you to buy new contact lenses with prescription.
Using an expired lens can be dangerous to your eyes. The bacteria, fungi, and amoeba that is present in expired lenses can cause serious eye infections that may lead to blindness. This is why you should not use expired contact lenses. So before you apply any new lenses, it’s crucial that you inspect their expiry date.
Lenses do expire, and according to the doctors of American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Optometric Association, you should never use expired lenses. The solution containing the lenses may expire and hence become more acidic or more alkaline and with unstable pH. When this happens, it can cause infection and become uncomfortable to wear those contact lenses.
You may realize that sometimes you don’t need your lenses when you wear you glasses, especially during allergy season. So by the time you remember or need your lenses, you may find that they are past their expiry date.
If this happens to you, the best thing to do is to revisit the website that you purchased your lenses from. A majority of companies that sell contact lens have a program set up to handle expired lenses. They can exchange them for new ones for a small fee. It is the best option because it is cost effective and time-saving.
If this doesn’t work for you, the next option would be to visit to your eye doctor. Expired lenses may also mean that your prescription is out of date. Paying a visit to your ophthalmologist can make your prescription up-to-date. You should visit your eye doctor for a checkup at least once or twice per year to be sure that your prescription is up-to-date and accurate so that your vision can be accurate.
If you are looking for contact lenses, visit Lens.com. Currently they have some great deals Air Optix contacts and many other brands.
