Contact Lens Care Must Be Meticulous To Minimize the Risk of Sight Threatening Infections and Other Complications of Contact Lens Wear. In my last blog, I looked at types of contact lenses. Contacts, of course, are a common alternative to LASIK or PRK laser eye surgery.
One of the most common reason people come to me for LASIK laser refractive surgery and stop using contacts is that they get tired of contact lens care and cleaning. In fact, contact lens cleaning needs to be meticulous in order to minimize the chances of contact lens infection. If contact lens cleaning is not properly performed, the risk of sight threatening contact lens infections and corneal ulcers becomes much higher. Some types of contact lens infections can rapidly advance and even lead to blindness. In this blog, I’ll give an overview of proper contact lens cleaning practices. Remember, though, that even with proper contact lens care, infection is still possible.
First, every time a contact lens is removed from the eye it should be cleaned, rinsed, and air-dried.
Before disinfecting, the contact lens should be rubbed and and rinsed. Rubbing actually physically removes some of the microorganisms on the lens, which makes the job of the disinfecting agent easier since there will be fewer organisms.
Always wash your hands before cleaning contacts. Only sterile saline should be used to rinse the contact lenses. Sterile saline, however, is not a disinfecting agent. It should only be used as a rinse.
The most important step of contact lens care is to clean and disinfect the lens, paying careful attention to all the steps outlined with the lens care product. Of course, only lens care products and solutions recommended by a qualified eye care provider should be used. Different products are appropriate for different types of contact lenses and for different patients — there is no one size fits all product for all contact lens wearers.
After the lenses are disinfected in solution, it is important to dispose of any remaining solution in the contact lens case and not try to re-use it for the next night’s cleaning.
A common error which should not occur is to expose the contact lens to water — either tap water or distilled water. A particularly dangerous microorganism lives in tap water or distilled water called Acanthamoeba, which can create a devastating corneal infection which can be extremely painful and difficult to treat. Acanthamoeba infection in contact lens wears has also been associated with exposure to hot tub water. So, it is important not to use water to clean contact lenses.
Bacteria actually can grow in the contact lens case itself, so the contact lens case should be changed every three months at a minimum. After each disinfection, the lens case should be rinsed out with disinfecting solution and let to air dry.
See Also
What You Need to Know About Contact Lens Hygiene & Compliance
Video produced by the American Optometric Association about proper care and cleaning of contact lenses.
Contact Lens Solutions and Products
FDA website reviewing contact lens care, solutions, and products.
Contact Lens Care Tips
FDA website on contact lens care.
Proper Care of Contact Lenses
Website of the American Academy of Ophthalmology reviewing proper care of contact lenses. A video is included on this website.
Caring for Contact Lenses
All About Vision site on contact lens care.
Microbial Contamination of Contact Lens Care Systems
Components of contact lens care systems, including contact lens cases, were cultured for biological growth.
Contact Lens Care
U.S. Food and Drug Administration book on contact lens care.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis. A growing problem in soft and hard contact lens wearers.
A discussion of acanthamoeba keratitis, a dreaded contact lens infection.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis FAQ: Infection of the Eye with Acanthamoeba
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site on Acanthamoeba keratitis, one of the most dreaded of contact lens complications.