How to Properly Clean Contact Lenses

If you have chosen reusable contact lenses, your eye doctor will explain to you the importance of keeping them clean. Cleanliness and proper handling are two of the most important elements of care you can provide for your contact lenses, and not only will they ensure that your contacts last as long as possible, but they will also keep your eyes healthy. This is because lens hygiene is crucial for preventing infections and other problems that can affect the health of your eyes as well as your vision.

 

Our contact lenses are placed into our eyes using our fingers. As you might expect, our hands and fingers come into contact with all sorts of different microorganisms during the day. Many are completely harmless, but others have the potential to cause problems if they can get inside our bodies. If we touch our eyes with unwashed hands, any harmful microorganisms could be transferred from our fingers to them, where they can reach the mucous membranes and pass through them into our bodies. This puts us at risk of infection and disease. By ensuring that we use proper hygiene practices, we can significantly reduce the potential danger to our eyes and health. Here’s what you need to know about how to properly clean contact lenses.
 

How To Clean Your Reusable Contact Lenses

Cleaning your reusable contact lenses is simple with this step-by-step guide.

 

Wash your hands! You should remember to always wash your hands before touching your eyes.

 

Fill your clean case: Your clean case should be filled with fresh contact lens disinfecting solution before every use.

 

Clean the first lens: Place the lens into the palm of your hand and apply a few drops of contact lens disinfecting solution to it. Use one finger to gently rub the lens back and forth so that the surfaces are cleaned.

 

Rinse the lens: Using a few more drops of disinfecting solution, rinse the lens, and then put it into your clean contact lens case.

 

Repeat: Repeat the process for the other contact lens, place it into the case and then close it, leaving both lenses to soak. How long they will need to soak for will depend on the guidance you receive from your eye doctor.
 

Cleaning Your Contact Lens Case

Many people overlook the need to clean their contact lens case, which is just as important as cleaning the lenses themselves. Every time you remove your contacts from the case, you should empty out the old solution, rinse the case with fresh contact lens solution and allow the container to air-dry, placing it upside down on a piece of clean tissue paper until it is dry and ready to use again. You should also replace your contact lens case on a fairly regular basis, with most eye doctors recommending that this is done every 4-6 weeks.
 

Things to Remember

There are certain things that it is valuable to remember when it comes to properly clean and caring for your contact lenses and eyes. Some of the most important include:

 

-  Washing your hands before and after you handle contact lenses and contact lens cleaning solutions.

 

-   Never using tap water to clean your contact lenses. This is because tap water often contains impurities that can either contaminate your eyes or even damage your lenses. Always use a contact lens disinfecting solution instead.

 

-   Clean your contact lenses every time you remove them, and do it there and then, don’t wait. Many people who delay cleaning their contact lenses then forget to clean them or rush the process, meaning that they are putting their eyes at risk.

 

-   Always begin with the same eye when you handle contact lenses. This will become a good habit that will prevent you from mixing your contacts up.

 

-   Do remember to take your contact lenses out before you go into the water, e.g. using a hot tub or going swimming. This is because you should limit the amount of time your lenses are in contact with water.

 

-   Keep your fingernails short. This will prevent you from damaging your contact lenses or damaging your eyes when you are putting them in or removing them.
 

For more advice on how to properly clean contact lenses and keep your eyes healthy, please contact our knowledgeable eye care team today.