How to look after your contact lenses

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aggravation, blinking, bowl, case, cataract surgery, cleaning fluids, cleaning solution, contact lens wearing, contact lenses, daily lenses, daunting, eye health, eye make up, eyelashes, fingers, gently, glassses, healthy, hold, hospital, hurt, index finger, infection, inside out, irritation, keep a steady hand, light, lower eyelid, mix, nervous, optician, pain, predicament, prevent infection, public places, redness, regular basis, repeat, safe routine, sleep, sleep wake, slide, squeeze, story, swap, swimming, tap water, thumb, uncomfortable, upper eyelid, vision loss, wake, walk away, wash and dry your hands

A recent story to hit the headlines was about a woman who was found to have 27, yes 27, contact lenses stuck in her eye. Ouch!

The 67 year was scheduled for cataract surgery but instead, a blue mass of lenses was pulled from her eye, unlike anything the hospital had seen before.

While this was an extreme case, it highlights the need for care to be taken when putting in and taking out lenses and for wearers to ensure they have a healthy, safe routine to ensure their eyes are well cared for.

To make sure you don’t end up in the same predicament, we have put together some top tips to help you get contact lens wearing right.

Seems so obvious, but always make sure you wash and dry your hands thoroughly before putting anything into your eyes or removing from them.

Try not to be nervous. Putting contact lenses in and taking them out might seem daunting but once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy so take your time. The key to success is to keep a steady hand and if it doesn’t work first time, walk away and try later.

Before you put a lens in, make sure it isn’t inside out. To check this, place the clean lens on your finger tip and hold it up to the light. If it is the right way round it should look like a bowl but if the edges flare out, it’s inside out and needs to be adjusted.

To put the lens into your eye, hold your upper eyelid with one finger and then gently pull down your lower eyelid with your other fingers. This will stop you blinking and will stop your eyelashes getting in the way.

To take your lenses out, simply look up and carefully pull your lower eyelid down using your middle finger. Gently put your index finger to your eye and when you touch the lower edge of the lens, slide it down to the lower white area of your eye – note that this should not hurt. Finally squeeze the lens, very gently, between your thumb and index finger and finally take it out. Repeat on the other eye.

At this point, daily lenses can be thrown away, otherwise clean bi-weekly and monthly lenses as advised.

Remember, never use tap water to clean your lenses or their case. Use the recommend cleaning solution and following the instructions to the word.

Whatever is happening in your life, only wear your lenses for the time specified and don’t ever sleep in them or you will wake up feeling very uncomfortable.

As well as replacing your lenses to prevent infection, it is also important to use new cases and cleaning fluids on a regular basis.

We suggest that you don’t apply your eye make-up before putting contact lenses in, as this can sometimes cause aggravation and infection.

Contact lenses and swimming are not a good mix, so swap for glasses at the pool but make sure you take the same care taking them in and out as public places are full of bacteria and germs.

If there are any signs of pain, irritation, redness or vision loss, get in touch with your optician ASAP.

On this note, it is important to have regular checks with your optician so they can check on your eye health and ensure you are using the right lenses for you.

Team Pure Beauty

Good books to make you glow

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50 Shades, antioxidants, beauty routines, brilliant books, Clean Eating Alice, Clean Eating Alice Eat Well Every Day, Cook Happy, Cook Healthy, Courgette Fritters, creative approach to food, dairy-free, Deliciously Ella, dinner, eat better, exercise, fat, Fearne Cotton, feel fantastic, food tastes great, fresh, fully illustrated book, glossy, gluten-free recipes, GOOP CLEAN BEAUTY, Gwyneth Paltrow, healthy lifestyle, healthy recipe book veteran, images, inside out, jam-packed, Joe Wicks, Lean in 15 – The Sustain Plan, lunches, make-up products, missing, phenomenon, post, Queen on Instragram, Quick Granola, quick-to-prepare meals, reading, recipes for breakfasts, recipes for cakes and puddings, refined sugar intak, Roasted Beetroot Salad, simple, skin issues, Sugar-Free in a Hurry, The Body Coach, trilogy, white stuff

No, we aren’t talking about the 50 Shades trilogy, but never have there been so many brilliant books out there that make living a healthy lifestyle so easy, and so obtainable.

Today we have a round up of our favourites and have a feeling you might be picking up one or two of them up for yourselves once you have read this post.

If you haven’t heard of Clean Eating Alice, where have you been? The Queen of Instragram has been winning the hearts of thousands online and now you can get your hands on ‘Clean Eating Alice Eat Well Every Day’ and become a fan too. This lush, clear book is easy to read, realistic and the images make you want to eat better. Her selection of recipes for breakfasts, lunches and dinner allow you to feel fantastic from the inside out.

We are massive Davina fans, and are in love with her fab book, Sugar-Free in a Hurry. Yes, it sounds scary to give up with white stuff but with Davina it is easy to reduce your refined sugar intake so your blood sugar is balanced, you lose weight and generally feel fantastic. Take a look at her recipes for cakes and puddings and you will see that you won’t be missing out on taste if you do try eating her way.

Another celebrity who is helping our skin glow and hair shine, is the gorgeous Fearne Cotton. Cook Happy, Cook Healthy, is the star’s first cookbook and is pack with super healthy recipes including Quick Granola, Courgette Fritters, Roasted Beetroot Salad, and Almond and Apricot Biscuits. We love the images as well as the down to earth approach that considers the cost of food and busy lives so many of us lead.

Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, has been hailed a ‘phenomenon’ and we totally believe the hype. Lean in 15 – The Sustain Plan is Joe’s third book and part of a plan that is helping thousands shift fat and build muscle. This glossy, fully illustrated book contains quick-to-prepare meals as well as achievable workouts, making it perfect for busy people who want to be healthy. Joe is fast paced and always on the go, but his food tastes great his results really do speak volumes.

Deliciously Ella is somewhat of a healthy eating veteran but we love her new book and continued fresh, creative approach to food. Aware of the impact food can have on health and wellbeing, Deliciously Ella Every Day is all about nourishing your body with wholesome ingredients, the easy way. Her second book is jam packed with ideas for simple but tempting dairy-free and gluten-free recipes that have been designed to be shared, and enjoyed, together.

Last but not least, we have included GOOP CLEAN BEAUTY. Written by Gwyneth Paltrow’s team at, goop, this is a modern day beauty bible. As well as looking at food and diet, this book also covers the power of antioxidants, the importance of sleep, the benefits of exercise as well as great advice about skin issues, beauty routines, make-up products. Whilst some of the ideas on the pages are a little out of reach, the clean, clear pages full of simple, beautiful images offer a little time out from life.

Got a favourite book, let us know about it!

Team Pure-Beauty