Throughout recorded history, human eyes have been the subject of literature, music and painting. There is a good reason why human eyes have been frequently the subject of so many different types of art. In point of fact, there is a significant amount of truth to the belief that eyes are the windows to the soul. In short, we take in a significant part of the world around us because of what we see. As a result, it is very important that we do take our eye health seriously. To this end, it is important that we have the proper prescriptions for contact lenses or glasses to ensure that we have the best vision possible. In addition, once we do have the correct and most appropriate prescription for contact lenses, it is vital that we take the top to properly care for and clean our contact lenses as required. There are two primary reasons why it is absolutely necessary for you to take the time and make the effort to properly care and maintain your contact lenses. The most important reason why it absolutely is necessary to properly care for and maintain your contact lenses is your eye health. The failure to properly care for and tend to your contact lenses can have some very serious consequences as far as your eye health is concerned. A common problem that can occur if you do not properly care for your contacts -- including appropriate cleaning and sterilization -- is an eye infection. Eye infections can be very serious. In some instances, an eye infection can result in permanent damage to your eyes which can result in further impaired vision and (in some instances) blindness. The second primary reason why it is vital to properly care for and maintain your lenses rests in the fact that you can extend the life of your contact lenses through appropriate cleaning, sterilization care and maintenance. If you are like most people, you certainly want to get the most out of your contact lenses. You want to be able to use them for as long as it is healthy and possible to utilize a pair of contact lenses. By failing to properly care for your contact lenses, you can shorten the life of a pair of lenses significantly. When you obtain a new pair of contact lenses, take the time to familiarize yourself with the care and maintenance requirements of your lenses. Remember, there are no viable shortcuts to the proper care and maintenance of your contact lenses -- your eye health and bank balance depends upon it.