The ABC’s of Cleaning Your Contacts

There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses and over the years since they first came on the market they have become safer and more durable. Today users can choose from a variety of different contacts some of which are even able to be worn for extended periods of time. However some things about these lenses have stayed the same.

For example there is still a real need to understand how to care for the contacts in a proper manner and not only how to put them in and take them out but what kind of cleaning solution is the best to use. Contact lenses are a big investment and looking after them properly can help increase your peripheral vision as well as your ability to play sports effectively. However there’s no way around the right cleaning solution.

As well, there are different kinds of contact lens and one of the more common ones is called the daily wear contact. These must be cleaned and disinfected at the end of the day and stored in a special case since there is always a risk of infection to the eye when the lens are not looked after properly.

Remember here that the lens can only be worn again after they have been properly disinfected and to do that the safest bet is to go with a solution that either your eye care professional or the manufacturer of a contact lens recommends. It’s also important to change the plastic lens cases often and to ensure that they stay closed whether or not the lenses are in them. It’s also a good idea to use the same solution disinfect on the case on a regular basis.

Continuous wear contact lens must be cleaned and disinfected in much the same manner and with the same kind of solutions as daily wear lenses although not as often. The difference between these continuous wear varieties and the daily lenses are the continuous wear often require wetting drops to be placed in the eyes at regular intervals since these lenses can be worn for up to six days and nights.

The last type of contact lenses is called daily disposables because they’re thrown away at the end of every day and a new pair is inserted the next day; eliminating the need for cleaning solutions.

Of course there is a procedure that you should follow when you actually go through the mechanics of cleaning your contact lens and the first step is to wash and clean your hands thoroughly and close any sink drains that you might be standing over. There are many products on the market today for cleaning contact lenses and multipurpose solutions are one of the more popular since they can be used for rinsing and disinfecting at the same time.

You need to keep a clean container around at all times to store your lens and it’s a good idea to have a bottle of saline solution close by for rinsing them off. Hydrogen peroxide, which is a common household item used to treat cuts, can also be used to disinfect your contact lens in a two-step procedure that you can learn more about from your eye care professional.

Remember to fill the contact lens cases with the right amount of disinfectant. It’s important for the lens to stay in the solution for a period of time to prevent the buildup of bacteria that can cause a serious eye infection.

Cleary Contacts is a supplier of contact lenses, contact lens cases, eyeglasses and sunglasses. Carrying the most popular brands including Acuvue Contacts and Freshlook Contacts Lenses.