Prevention

Caring for your contact lenses

If you wear contact lenses, proper use, cleaning and disinfecting can help prevent keratitis. Follow these tips:

• Choose daily wear contacts, and take them out before going to sleep.
• Wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly before handling your contacts.
• Follow your eye care professional's recommendations for taking care of your lenses.
• Use only sterile products that are made specifically for contact lens care, and use lens care products made for the type of lenses you wear.
• Gently rub the lenses during cleaning to enhance the cleaning performance of the contact lens solutions. Avoid rough handling that might cause your lenses to become scratched.
• Replace your contact lenses as recommended.
• Replace your contact lens case every three to six months.
• Discard the solution in the contact lens case each time you disinfect your lenses. Don't "top off" the old solution that's already in the case.
• Don't wear contact lenses when you go swimming.

Preventing viral outbreaks

Some forms of viral keratitis can't be completely eliminated. But the following steps may control viral keratitis occurrences:

• If you have a cold sore or a herpes blister, avoid touching your eyes, your eyelids and the skin around your eyes unless you've thoroughly washed your hands.
• Only use eyedrops that have been prescribed by an eye doctor.
• Washing your hands frequently prevents viral outbreaks.