Contact Lens Care

Contact lens care is an important part of your contact lenses experience. While it can be difficult and confusing to know what products are best suited for your particular lenses, it is essential that you properly care for them for superior ocular health.

To help make sense of the wide assortment of products available for contact lens care, you must first understand the steps that are necessary to properly clean and store your contact lenses. It is important to remember, however, that you should not change your contact lens care regimen without asking your eye care professional as some products are unsuitable for certain contacts and could harm both your lenses and your eyes.

Caring for RGP Lenses

Because they don't get deposits of proteins and other buildup as readily as soft contact lenses, RGP contact lens care is generally easier.

1. Wash your hands to prevent any transfer of bacteria to your lenses.

2. Gently rub a cleaning solution into your lens to remove any debris.

3. Rinse and store in a contact lens case filled with a storing solution. (Never use water in place of a lens cleaning system as this can damage your lenses.)

4. On the advice of your doctor, you may have to add an enzymatic cleaner to help remove any protein buildup - this is usually only done on a weekly basis if your contacts are daily wear. However, this step is usually not necessary since their surface is resistant to deposit buildup.

5. After reinsertion, clean and rinse your lens case, using the storage solution, and allow it to air-dry.

This entire routine - cleaning, disinfecting and storing - may be available in one solution, unless you require an enzymatic cleaner. For added comfort, you may want to lubricate your lenses with rewetting eye drops.

Caring for Soft Contact Lenses

The type of products you need and the care required depend on the type of soft contacts you wear. If you use daily disposable lenses, they are thrown out at the end of the day so there is no maintenance needed. Weekly disposable lenses must be rubbed, rinsed and disinfected every day, but they don’t need an enzymatic cleaner because they aren't worn long enough to have significant buildup. Regular lenses must be cleaned and disinfected daily, and they may require a weekly enzymatic cleaning.

Here are some steps to take for soft contact lens care:

1. Wash your hands to prevent the transfer of debris to your lenses.

2. Gently rub a cleaning solution into each lens to remove any buildup. Some products eliminate this step - usually referred to as "no-rub" solutions. To clean your lenses, use daily cleaners, specific hydrogen peroxide solutions, cleaning/disinfecting solutions, or a multipurpose solution.

3. Rinse the lenses with a saline solution or a multipurpose solution.

4. Place the lenses in a contact lens case and fill with a disinfecting solution - this could be a multipurpose solution, a cleaning/disinfecting solution, or a hydrogen peroxide solution.

5. After reinsertion, clean and rinse your lens case, using the storage solution, and allow it to air-dry.

6. Depending on the amount of protein your eyes deposit on your lenses, you may require a weekly enzymatic cleaning. This is usually in the form of a tablet that is dissolved in a disinfecting or saline solution.

Please visit the following sections for more information on Contact Lens Care and Wear:

Contact Lens Care Products: Information on contact lens care and cleaning products.

Contact Lens Wear: Inserting and Removing Your Contact Lenses

Problem Eyes: Finding the Right Contact Lenses

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