Safety of contact lens
cleaning solution is quite a serious issue for
eye doctors and their patients.
Research results for solution
safety often contradict each other. They depend on which
contact lens company sponsors the research. It would be
the safest to use daily disposable contacts all together
– no cleaning solution and no safety issues. However,
daily disposable lenses
aren’t available for all prescriptions and not everybody
can afford them. So if you have to use contact
lenses cleaning solution, it is very important
to select the safe one.
Lens solution manufacturers
have to find a compromise between antibacterial strength
of solution and its comfort for patients. Just think about
it, a perfect lens solution must be deadly for bacteria
or all kinds, but gentle to your eyes and contact lenses
and be simple to use and affordable to buy. Not an easy
task!
Multipurpose solutions that work best
are Aquify and Opti-Free Express multipurpose.
However,
for people with sensitive eyes it is best to use different
solutions for cleaning and storing their lenses. Because
even the most gentle multi purpose solution can cause
mild irritation and dryness for your eyes. Use daily cleaning
solution like Clear Care by Ciba Vision or Pure Eyes,
to clean and disinfect your lens. Then rinse and store
it in a saline solution. You can use gentle saline –
Sensitive Eyes Saline by Bausch and Lomb solution, for
example. Make sure you give your lens a good rinse, because
cleaning solution might irritate your eyes, if it is not
rinsed off.
Also preservatives that are added to solutions might
cause allergic reaction
to contact lens solutions. If the lenses feel uncomfortable,
try switching to “no preservatives” solution.
No contacts solution should be used for longer than 6
month from opening the bottle. So if you wear contact
lenses only occasionally, it is a good idea to buy a smaller
solution bottle and replace it more often.
