College survey reveals poor hygiene

A survey by the College of Optometrists has highlighted poor hygiene in using contact lenses and eye drops.

The research showed that 30% of the people surveyed did not always wash their hands before inserting contact lenses and almost half of all eye drops users had never been shown how to correctly use them. To combat this, the College has released a series of tutorial videos showing patients how to administer eye drops and insert and remove contact lenses.

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser for the College of Optometrists, said: ‘It is so important to practice good hygiene when applying or removing anything to the eye. Washing and drying your hands thoroughly will reduce the chance of acquiring a serious and potentially sight threatening infection. We can also see that a lot of people struggle with inserting eye drops. I would recommend everyone who finds eye drop instillation difficult to watch our video or speak to their optometrist or pharmacist to check their technique.’