In the old days, contact lens care was like Potion's Class at Hogwart's - there was heat or UV disinfection, separate enzymatic additives and saline for rinsing off cleaning agents. For some time now, soft contact lens wearers have enjoyed the simplicity of a single multi-purpose product of one brand or another to store, clean, disinfect and condition their contacts. Unfortunately, human beings have a way of getting lazy about things that need to be done routinely.
While there are other considerations and I regularly advise each patient, often giving additional instructions to ensure they avoid complications from contact lens wear, I have outlined here what I would define as the absolute minimum for most contact wearers to maintain and safely wear soft 2-week or monthly replacement contact lenses. If you are doing more that this, keep it up. If you fall below the standard set in these recommendations, you should recognize that doing so puts your eyes and vision at risk of serious complications and that doing a little better every day can greatly reduce your risk.
1. Wash your hands prior to touching your eyes or handling your contacts.
2. Rub your contacts daily (regardless of what the bottle may say).
3. Rinse your case with your sterile multi-purpose solution prior to storing lenses - do not use tap water.
4. Fill your case with fresh solution each time you store your lenses - do not top off or reuse solution.
5. Discard and replace lenses according to the recommended replacement schedule.
6. Replace your case every 2-3 months.
7. Avoid touching the tip of your contact solution bottle due to risk of contamination and infection.
8. Check the solution's expiration date. Discard solution it if it is expired or has been contaminated.
9. Remove lenses prior to sleep, unless your doctor has prescribed lenses that are approved for overnight wear and has explained the risk/benefit considerations involved with extended wear.
10. Never wear lenses overnight if they have been exposed to any recreational water source (hot tub, pool, outdoor bodies of water and so forth) regardless of their approval status for extended wear.
As I said, there are other things to keep in mind and so if your doctor has given you additional guidelines for safe and comfortable contact lens wear, you should stick to those guidelines. The recommendations listed above are for soft disposable 2-week or monthly replacement contact lenses that are maintained with multi-purpose contact solution. If you wear daily disposables, rigid gas permeable contacts or use a different product for maintenance such as a peroxide-based solution for overnight storage and cleaning, make sure that you are using these products appropriately. If you are not sure, check with your eye doctor.
While there are other considerations and I regularly advise each patient, often giving additional instructions to ensure they avoid complications from contact lens wear, I have outlined here what I would define as the absolute minimum for most contact wearers to maintain and safely wear soft 2-week or monthly replacement contact lenses. If you are doing more that this, keep it up. If you fall below the standard set in these recommendations, you should recognize that doing so puts your eyes and vision at risk of serious complications and that doing a little better every day can greatly reduce your risk.
1. Wash your hands prior to touching your eyes or handling your contacts.
2. Rub your contacts daily (regardless of what the bottle may say).
3. Rinse your case with your sterile multi-purpose solution prior to storing lenses - do not use tap water.
4. Fill your case with fresh solution each time you store your lenses - do not top off or reuse solution.
5. Discard and replace lenses according to the recommended replacement schedule.
6. Replace your case every 2-3 months.
7. Avoid touching the tip of your contact solution bottle due to risk of contamination and infection.
8. Check the solution's expiration date. Discard solution it if it is expired or has been contaminated.
9. Remove lenses prior to sleep, unless your doctor has prescribed lenses that are approved for overnight wear and has explained the risk/benefit considerations involved with extended wear.
10. Never wear lenses overnight if they have been exposed to any recreational water source (hot tub, pool, outdoor bodies of water and so forth) regardless of their approval status for extended wear.
As I said, there are other things to keep in mind and so if your doctor has given you additional guidelines for safe and comfortable contact lens wear, you should stick to those guidelines. The recommendations listed above are for soft disposable 2-week or monthly replacement contact lenses that are maintained with multi-purpose contact solution. If you wear daily disposables, rigid gas permeable contacts or use a different product for maintenance such as a peroxide-based solution for overnight storage and cleaning, make sure that you are using these products appropriately. If you are not sure, check with your eye doctor.
