BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

If obtained without a prescription or not used correctly , it could pose a serious risk to your eye health and sight and can even cause blindness .

Therefore , to obtain well fitted safe contact lenses , it is highly advised to follow a prescribed process guided by eye care practitioners .

However , with the rising popularity of online shopping , especially during the pandemic , many have resorted to purchasing contact lenses online without getting proper advise from eye care practitioners . This has raised questions on the safety and quality of the contact lenses sold online .

Requirements for contact lens purchasing

Malaya Optical owner and senior optometrist Ryan Ho stressed that purchasing contact lenses online should be limited to replenishing purposes only . This is because for first time users , they are required to visit the optometrist and undergo an eye examination to ascertain the eye health and the vision power .

After the examination , the contact lens prescription will be issued .

“ Based on the prescription and with the consultation of the optometrist , you can then try out the contact lenses to find

Ryan Ho stresses the importance of having regular eye examination before and after procuring contact lenses .

Eye health and vision power can change between checkups . So , it is best to have regular check-ups to ascertain the eye health and the vision power and ensure your contact lens prescription is up to date .”

— Ryan Ho

the best fit .”

Eye care practitioners are also responsible to teach the wearer on the management of contact lenses , including how to wear and remove them .

“ Most contact lens users would not know how to buy or wear contact lenses without learning from the optometrist itself .”

Only after obtaining the prescription