Caring for |
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lenses—

> What you need to know

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Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

A; someone who has been in the cosplay and costuming community
or many years, I’ve had experience with various prosthetics and
appearance-altering appliances—including contact lenses. Recently,
there has been an explosion in popularity for people looking to alter
their eye colour, or increase the diameter of their iris in an effort to
make their eyes appear larger, or more doll-like. The reason behind this,
I suspect, has to do with Instagram trends, and the legitimization of
beauty vlogging and instamodels (Instagram users who focus on beauty
and fashion). Recently, Loreal and NYX partnered to feature some of
these online personalities in their campaigns, and many people see it

as internet culture taking over mainstream media. What this means

is that a lot of fashion and make-up trends will be heavily influenced

by what’s available online. In this case, that means contact lenses!

So here’s the bad thing—most of the time these lenses come with no
care instructions. Companies assume you've spoken to an optometrist
and you know how to prep them for wear, clean them, and store them. For
me, I learned from someone who had to wear contact lenses for impaired
vision, mostly because I hate the doctor and refuse to go unless | am
physically dying, and even then it’s a toss-up. But for people who don’t have
that connection, or are eager to put their best face forward (sometimes
at the risk of common sense), here are some handy dandy instructions.

Do not put those lenses in right away! I can’t count the number of
times people have told me that they've tried contact lenses, and then never
did them again because they hurt. Generally, contact lenses will come ina
pouch or glass vial. This pouch or glass vial will have a solution in it. Most
people assume that this solution is saline solution—the same stuff that
you'll be storing and cleaning the lenses in after you wear them. It is not.
Generally, the contact lenses will ship from their manufacturer in a liquid
that is a mix of saline solution and alcohol. This means that if you take the
lenses out and put them on your eye immediately, they will burn! What you
need to do is soak the lenses for 24 hours before you wear them. Take them
out of the pouch or vial, rinse them in saline by placing them in the palm
of your hand and then pouring a small puddle of saline solution on top of
them, then rub them a bit. Then place them in a contact lens container
with saline solution and leave them. Soaking them will remove the alcohol
so that when you put them in they won't irritate or burn your eyes.

The next thing you need to know is that the solution for the
lenses has to be changed—at least—every two weeks. If you wear
them a lot this shouldn't be a problem, but don’t leave them in storage
for too long and then start wearing them again. You need to be sure
that there’s no bacteria, so taking them out and rinsing them every
two weeks will prevent infection. In addition, never mix up which
lens goes in which eye. The left and right are labelled for a reason,
and it’s to prevent bacteria from spreading. It’s also because your
eyes are different shapes. The lens will conform to the shape it’s
on, so changing from one eye to the other can cause irritation.

Be aware that there’s a major difference between soft and regular
lenses. When I refer to soft I mean lenses like circle lenses, or the
ones that are meant to increase the diameter of the iris. These types
of lenses don’t hold their shape when you try to put them in, and as
a result they are a lot harder to put in. If you want to try out lenses,
maybe go for some regular ones first, or at least don’t just start off
with really wide ones. The larger the lens, the harder it will be to
get it in your eye. If you start off small to make it easier on yourself,
you'll see a major difference, even with the smallest circle lenses.

Lastly, don’t wear them every day. Your eyes are an organ, just like
your skin or your heart. They need air and oxygen in order to function
properly. Laying off the lenses (even if they make you look super
rad) every once in a while is important to your overall eye health.

 

EN -W-lOM(o(-t- Mich mB cela ee
M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

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And more!

Inverted introvert

> What does it mean to be an introvert?

a

 

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

[ores is one of those words that gets
tossed around a lot. In fact, it gets thrown
around so much that it becomes difficult to
discern what it actually means. The public image
of millennials is one of a social butterfly—the
person who seeks to go out every night and

be with their friends or family. So when we
encounter someone in this age range who
doesn't display those characteristics, we label
them an introvert. This habit has caused

us to fuzz the definition and connect many
unrelated issues or personality traits under an
umbrella term. However, by doing this, we could
potentially be pushing aside actual signs of
trouble, and dismissing them as simply another
aspect of a friend or loved one’s “introversion.”
Because the lifestyle of an introvert can be

so radically different from our own, we can
interpret their actions in the wrong way.

So what does it mean to be an introvert?
Is it synonymous with depression, or being
anti-social? Should these people be thrown
onto an island and quarantined like they
have some infectious disease? Obviously
not, but there are some misconceptions
that do need to be cleared up.

Are you depressed? One of those weird,
fuzzed definitions I mentioned earlier is the
one that separates being an introvert from
being depressed. A lot of people treat the two
words as if they are symbiotic, when really
they are two completely separate issues. An
introvert is not always someone who suffers
from depression, and vice versa, as someone
who's incredibly social and outgoing isn’t
immune to depression. If your friend or
significant other is an introvert, you shouldn't
feel the need to force them to go out and do
things in an attempt to make them “happy.”

Humans are naturally social creatures. Most
people like to go out and interact with other
people, and when they don't, or they spend too
much time alone, they start to go a little stir-
crazy. Being an introvert is like the opposite of

Illustration by Ed Appleby

that. Instead of wanting to go out and socialize,
introverts prefer to remain on their own, and if
they’ve been around people for too long they
can start to feel anxious or irritated, much in the
same way someone will become stressed if they
feel they haven't had enough time just hanging
out with friends. This doesn’t mean introverted
people will never want to go out, either in a small
friend group or to larger, more social places like a
club or event—those times are simply fewer and
further between for them than with other people.

What is recharging? This concept of
“recharging” is one that is relatively new, but
it does help to better understand introverted
behavior. Recharging is when an introvert
has hit their breaking point in socializing,
and they need to be alone fora little while.
Remember, it’s pretty much the exact same as
when a more social person feels that they've
spent too much time alone. Maintaining a
balance can help to re-centre them. Spending
a little time on their own will eliminate that
irritability and stress that builds up when
they’re bombarded by social event after social
event. Asa friend or loved one, understanding
that this “recharge” time is a necessity is
probably one of the best things you can do.

Are you anti-social? If someone tells
you that they’re an introvert, most people’s
automatic assumption is that they're anti-
social. This association is a disservice.
Introverted people like having friends just like
anyone else, but they do tend to be shyer.

To be friends with an introvert you have to
understand that if they don’t want to hang out,
it’s not because they're mad at you, or they're
trying to upset you. Most of the time introverts—
who naturally desire being on their own—are
forced to go out in the public, either for work
or school. This becomes incredibly draining,
similar to having to cram for a test. You read and
study constantly until you hit a breaking point
where you just have to veg out for an evening.
An introvert will spend an entire day outside,
looking forward to when they can simply go
home and relax. If a friend then calls and invites
them out, sometimes they'll refuse simply
because they’re exhausted and need to recharge.