Over 45 million Americans wear contact lenses. And many of our customers wear them with our sunglasses. I've worn contact lenses since high school, but I don't remember an eye care professional telling me to never wear them in the shower. Do you?

We think it's important to make sure our customers are well informed about their eye health.

Here's a list of some of the DOs and DON'Ts that many people may not know or may overlook. 

DO

• Always wash your hands before handling lenses (especially during a pandemic), using a soap without lanolin, moisturizers or deodorant. I know you're thinking how is this possible...okay, so just make sure you rinse your hands well
• Keep the caps on your solutions and check for bottle expiration dates
• Take out your contacts before you shower, swim, or go in a bath or hot tub
• If you don't wear daily use, be sure to disinfect lenses after each use
• Empty disinfecting/soaking solution from case after each use
• Use minimal eye makeup
• Keep nails short and smooth
• Wear protective eyewear when exposed to windy conditions or debris
• Have regular checkups

DON'T

• Use water to clean or store your contact lenses — even the tap water we drink has germs in it that can harm our eyes
• Rub your eyes 
• Sleep in your contact lenses
• Wear lenses when eyes are red, irritated, painful or vision is blurred
• Soak in a hot tub, swim or shower while wearing your lenses

One of the most important take aways from the list above is to never use water on your contact lenses, and if water gets on your contacts, throw them away or disinfect them overnight in contact lens solution. Exposing your contacts to water can cause them to warp or stick to your eye. This can potentially lead to scratches in your cornea.

The bottom line is if you suspect something feels wrong with your contact lenses, remove them immediately.