Different soft contact lenses care solutions

Besides the wide options of soft contact lenses themselves, their care is also an important aspect that involves the prevention of eye infections. The ever reported fungal eye infection is a clear warning against unhealthy contacts handling. You should always follow the guidance and steps while cleaning contacts, although the one-bottle care systems have made lens care much easier than before. And the basic requirement is that you should never switch care regimens between different soft lenses, because they are usually incompatible.

Single-purpose, multipurpose lens solutions and cleaning devices

There are many kinds of products for lens cleaning, rinsing, and disinfecting. Saline solution is exclusively for lenses rinsing and storing, rather than cleaning and disinfecting. You can use daily cleaner on your palm to rub your lenses on both sides. Multipurpose solution integrates all functions of cleaning, rinsing, disinfecting and storing. They are very convenient and eliminate the need for separate bottles of different products. Hydrogel peroxide solution is also for those four functions, but it provides a basket for rinsing and a cup for cleaning and disinfecting. The more convenient solution may be cleaning or disinfecting devices. You should just fill in cleaning and disinfecting solutions, and then the device will do the job for you. But the rinsing work is still your responsibility.

It is advisable to avoid store-brand lens solutions

There are mainly two types of contacts care products in terms of brand category: name-brand solutions and store-brand solutions, both of which have a FDA approval. Store-brand solutions from pharmacies and grocers may be cheaper, but they have potential problems. Since lenses solutions should never be switched without a compatibility test, you should always go to your doctor for consultation. And because a typical store does not produce solutions themselves, the product you bought last time may be not available now, which requires additional doctor’s visits for compatible issues. What’s more, some of the store-brand solutions may be made of older formulations and they may frequently change their formulations.

Extra considerations of protein deposit, dry eyes and sensitive eyes

In addition to regular contacts cleaning and rinsing, there are special products for further care. Daily protein removal is useful for infrequently replaced contacts, which provides further protein removal and maintains lenses comfort. Another product for weekly protein cleaning is enzymatic cleaner. You should clean and rinse your contacts before applying an enzymatic drop on each of them, and then leave them to dissolve for 15 minutes. After that, you may need other disinfecting products if necessary.

Eye drops can be used to lubricate your eyes and rewet your lenses. Some solutions contain preservatives that may cause problems at a high rate. For the small population who have eye sensitivity and allergies, cleaning products marked with “preservative-free” are the right choice. If they use regular solutions, they may cause symptoms such as itching, tearing, foreign body sensation, burning, redness and discharge. In addition, most of the preservative-free products have an expiration date after they are unsealed.

Other tiny tips

You should keep many things in mind during daily contact lenses care. Most importantly, never shift to other brands without making a compatibility consultation. The solution bottle tips may be contaminated by any touch. Microorganisms in tap water may cause dangerous infections. You should follow instructions while caring your lenses. Rinse and dry your lenses case regularly and discard it once a month.