Next week (25-31 March) is the first ever Love Your Lenses Week, orchestrated by the GOC but involving stakeholders from right across the sector.
The aim is to encourage contact lens wearers to look after their eyes after our research showed that many are not looking after their lenses properly – for example by not having regular eye checks with their optometrist or contact lens optician or by allowing their lenses to come into contact with water.
Some of the dos and don’ts of contact lens care are obvious, and really well understood. For example nearly everyone knows not to share contact lenses, even if we hear occasional reports of teenagers sharing cosmetic ones at fancy dress parties (and spreading eye infections by doing so).
But far fewer comply with advice to keep contact lenses away from water, such as when swimming or showering – and the campaign will aim to raise awareness of these simple safety tips.
The campaign’s success will depend on how well stakeholders from across the sector come together to make it work – so we really encourage you to raise awareness among your patients of the need for regular check-ups and good contact lens care.
You can visit the campaign website, www.loveyourlenses.com to get involved in the campaign, or email hello@loveyourlenses.com to receive your stakeholder toolkit with ideas of how you can help – for example by holding an event, putting up posters or reminding contact lens wearers how to treat lenses with love and respect via a newsletter or social media.
Changing the public’s behaviour is a big challenge and does not happen overnight – but by working together as a sector we can all make a difference.