When the weather is extreme, it can cause a good deal of havoc on your health. You have to worry about getting burnt when it is summertime or a bad cold in the winter. If you are someone who has to wear contact lenses, you may wonder whether the heat is going to affect your contacts and if it is possible for the contact lenses to melt into your eyes.
Your contact lenses will not melt to your eyes, no matter the temperature outside or even if you spend some time over the grill, explains Eye On Health, an eye doctor in Phoenix. Many contact lens wearers are going to spend hours outside in hot conditions, and none of them have any problems with the lenses melting in their eyes. You should wear sunglasses to make your eyes protected from the sun, but not to prevent melting.
You will be able to enjoy a lot of fun in the sun, whether you wear contact lenses or not. Let’s take a closer look at how to protect your eyes in the summer when you wear contacts.
Can heat Make My Contact Lenses Melt?
It is not possible for your contacts to melt to your eyes. While there was a prevalent myth that this was possible for some time, your contacts are not going to melt to your eyes, no matter how high the temperature gets outside. You can even lean over a grill or the oven, and the contacts are not going to melt.
However, it is possible that the heat will dry your eyes out a bit. Each person will react differently to the heat, and some will notice their eyes dry out faster than others. This can make wearing the contacts uncomfortable, and you may need to take them out and re-lubricate them to keep them healthy and doing well.
You can also add in some eye drops to help take care of the eyes. This just means the eyes are dry, not that the contacts have melted to the eyes.
The best way to make sure that your contact lenses will be comfortable in the heat you need to be careful around heat sources. Limit your exposure to direct heat, such as from a hair dryer, oven, or grill. A bit of time there will be fine for most, but if you notice that the contacts feel uncomfortable, you may want to move away from the heat source.
You should also be careful when you are outside. While the sun is not going to get warm enough to make the contacts melt, prolonged time outside without eye protection can make the eyes dry and worn out. Wearing sunglasses is the best way to make sure that you will have protected eyes that are not dry and can still see and feel comfortable when you are outside having fun.
What Can I Do If My Contacts Feel Uncomfortable in the Heat?
There are a few steps that you can take if you start to notice your contacts are not feeling all that comfortable and you are around a direct source of heat. The first step is to remove yourself from the heat source and step away. In many cases, you will be able to do this, such as moving away from the oven or the grill. Some other steps that you can take to help keep your eyes protected include:
- Take care of your contacts: You need to frequently clean and store your contact lenses. You can follow the recommendations from the manufacturer based on whether you have daily or monthly contacts.
- Look into daily disposables; If you can change out the prescription each day, it is less likely that the contacts will get ruined or dry out. Daily contacts are going to help with this problem.
- Give the eyes a rest: You should give your eyes a break on occasion from the contacts. Taking them out a few hours before bed and wearing glasses can help prevent you from wearing the contacts too long and will keep the eyes safe as well.
Taking a few extra precautions will ensure that the contacts will stay safe, your eyes will not get too dry, and you will be able to wear your contact lenses in comfort.
Keeping Your Eyes Protected in the Summer
While you do not need to worry about the contact lenses melting when you wear them in the heat, you do need to provide some protection to your eyes during the summer. Sunglasses can be a good option to prevent the sun from being too bright at the time and causing damage to the eyes.
Some will choose to get eye drops to help in case their eyes have allergies in the summer as well. Taking care of your eyes and keeping them protected from all the brightness will be the best option to keep you healthy.