Contact lens care

All contact lenses have to be cleaned and disinfected after every time they are worn. Poor lens hygiene is one of the common causes of problems with contact lenses, particularly eye infections.

Cleaning

Contact lenses have to be cleaned each time they are removed from the eye in order to prevent the buildup of deposits. The deposits are composed of proteins and lipids from the tears, and if they are not removed they can make the lenses uncomfortable, as well as making it easier for microorganisms to adhere to the lenses.

There are special lens cleaning solutions provided for different types of lenses. The lenses are usually rubbed between the palm of one hand and a finger, using an appropriate cleaning solution, then rinsed with a sterile saline solution.

Disinfection

After cleaning, contact lenses need to be disinfected to kill any bacteria or other microorganisms which may still adhere to the lenses. If lenses are not disinfected, the microorganisms can reproduce, and when the lens is worn again the microorganisms will be introduced into the eye.

There are a variety of disinfection systems available for different types of contact lenses. It is important to use the system recommended by the professional who prescribed the lenses, and to seek their advice before changing systems, as some of the systems are not compatible.