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Acrylic nails are pretty and fun, but having them when you wear contact lenses is not real fun. It can be scary trying out acrylic nails when you wear contacts, because the last thing that you want is to hurt your eyes when you’re trying to put your contacts in or take them out. Nor do you want to accidentally puncture or rip your contacts – those things are expensive and you need them to see!
As such, you may wonder whether or not it’s even possible to wear acrylic nails with contact lenses. You may think that you have to stick with nail polish while wearing contacts or if you really want acrylics, you have to stick to glasses. Here’s what you need to know.
Can You Have Acrylic Nails If You Wear Contacts?
The truth of the matter is that yes, you can actually have long nails while wearing contact lenses. However, it goes without saying that if you’re going to do that, you need to be extremely careful around your eyes and when handling your contacts. Contact lenses in and of themselves already necessitate precise care, even with natural nails that are short and stubby. Adding acrylic nails into the mix means that you have to be even more careful than ever before.
What Should You Be Mindful Of When Wearing Acrylic Nails With Contact Lenses?
Many different things! Some of which are as follows.
#1. Start With Shorter Nails
If you’re new to acrylic nails and you wear contacts, work your way up in length gradually. Even just a couple of extra millimeters can make it feel impossible to get your contacts out if you’re not used to them. If you’re struggling to remove your contacts, you’re probably doing damage to your contacts every time that you try, not to mention the risk of scratching your eyeball. This can decrease the effectiveness of your contacts and cause you to need new contacts on a more frequent basis.
#2. Switch Your Contact Lens Case More Frequently
This is due to hygiene. You can learn more about eye hygiene in our previous blog, 3 Essential Eye Hygiene Tips. But basically, your nails need to be washed, not just your hands. When you have long nails, you need to be sure that you’re washing them properly. However, many people forget about this and end up handling their contacts lens case with unwashed nails, making it less hygienic. This is bad for your eyes. Swapping your lens case out more frequently can help with this.
#3. Wash Your Hands Before Handling Your Contacts
We just talked about this, but it’s worth its own section. One of the biggest mistakes that people who wear acrylic nails (and contact lens wearers in general) make is not washing their hands before handling your contacts. However, your nails are a breeding ground for bacteria. For hygiene’s sake, wash your hands, nails included, before handling your contacts.
#4. Know How To Take Your Contacts Out And Put Them In
Adding acrylic nails into the equation can make something that was once easy incredibly difficult. Adding in the factor that those nails are going near your eyes and it becomes even worse. You never want to grab your contacts with your nails, as this can scratch and tear them.
There are a few different ways you can handle contacts with acrylic nails. It’s best to talk about this with your eye doctor, as they know you and your eyes and will be able to make appropriate recommendations to suit your needs.
Avoid common mistakes like trying too hard to remove contacts that won’t come out, using your nails directly on the lens, and pulling on your eyelid too much.
#5. Have Glasses On Hand
If you’re a contact lens wearer, you may not have glasses. This may be either because you just don’t like how glasses look or because you think it is unnecessary to have both glasses and contacts. However, if you wear contacts, it’s always a good idea to have a backup pair of contact lenses in case something happens. For instance, if you get an eye injury, you can’t wear contacts, and glasses would be able to allow you to still see.
If you struggle with acrylic nails and contacts, for the sake of your eye health and safety, it may be better to stick with glasses. When you wear glasses, you just toss them on and off, no need to worry about nails going near your eyeballs.
Wolcott Optical provides both contact lenses and glasses. We carry an extensive selection of frames to suit all styles. If you have questions about glasses or contact lenses, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
