Keeping your contact lenses clean is important to avoid corneal infection. According to the MayoClinic.com, all types of contact lenses, be they soft contacts or gas-permeable "hard" lenses, reduce the flow of oxygen to your eye, which in turn causes corneal irritation. Unsanitary lenses can pick up bacteria that further lead to infection. Your cleaning and storage routine can vary, depending on if you choose daily-wear contacts or extended-wear contacts. However, there are general guidelines for cleaning your contact lenses at home.
Step 1
Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly before handling your lenses, be it to clean them or insert them in your eye, advises the MayoClinic.com.
Step 2
Follow your eye-care professional's advice. When your lenses are first dispensed to you, you'll receive instructions on how to insert and remove your contact lenses, as well as how to clean them, says the Contact Lens Council. If you opt for soft daily-wear contact lenses, you'll need to clean, rinse and disinfect them each time you take them out.
Step 3
Use only the lens cleanser and comfort drops your eye-care professional recommends, advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and follow usage instructions. Don't substitute a multipurpose solution if a saline solution is advised. The Mayo Clinic stresses the importance of using combination cleaning-disinfectant-storage solutions with caution. These may be easier to use--and in fact, some of these are "no rub" solutions, making your cleaning routine easier--but some brands have been removed from the consumer market, as they were linked to eye infections.
Step 4
Keep your contact lens case clean. Discard old lens solution, and wash, rinse and air-dry the case when you disinfect your lenses, advises the MayoClinic.com. Purchase a new contact lens case every three to six months.
Step 5
Don't reuse contact lens solution. Get rid of leftover solution after each use rather than "topping off" the solution in your contact lens case with fresh solution, says the FDA.
Tips and Warnings
- Daily-wear contact lenses are less likely to cause corneal infection than extended-wear contacts, according to the MayoClinic.com. Take out your contact lenses if your eyes become red and irritated. The Contact Lens Council advises that you remove the contacts, rinse and disinfect them and store them in your case, then contact your eye care professional. Keep a spare pair of glasses on hand so you won't be reliant on contact lenses to correct your vision.
- Don't wear contact lenses for any other purpose than to correct your vision. "Costume" lenses are not regulated by the FDA, the MayoClinic.com points out, and can damage your eyes. Don't use anything else to clean your lenses than what your eye care professional advises. Don't spit on your lenses to clean them, cautions the FDA, and never use tap or bottled water or homemade salt water to rinse or clean the lenses. This may result in an eye infection.
Things You'll Need
- Sterile contact lens solutions and drops recommended by your eye-care professional
- Contact lens case
