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Practice team resources: Contact lenses
A guide to using the right solution and the necessary cautions
Gillian Bruce
05 June 2019
Contact lens solutions perform a number of important roles in maintaining safe and comfortable contact lens wear. By including a variety of ingredients they can help to remove lens deposits, kill micro-organisms, and condition the surface of lenses.
Contact lens solutions perform a number of important roles in maintaining safe and comfortable contact lens wear. By including a variety of ingredients they can help to remove lens deposits, kill micro-organisms, and condition the surface of lenses.
There is a staggering array of contact lens solutions available, the suitability of each depending not only on the type of contact lens, but the type of patient and how they wear their lenses and you should be guided by the ECP on this before recommending solutions to patients.
Soft daily disposable contact lenses are the only type that do not require cleaning or storing in solution; they should be discarded after each use. However, they can be rinsed in saline or soft contact lens multipurpose solutions if required. All other lens types should be cleaned after each period of wear and stored safely in the correct solution until next required. Preservative-free solutions might be best for patients with sensitive eyes or those prone to allergy.
Cautions
- Red tops typically mean danger and are often found on bottles of cleaner or peroxide. This indicates that they are harmful to the surface of the eye and should be rinsed off the lens or neutralised completely before inserting the lenses
- For most peroxide systems, the lenses should only be stored in the case provided with the solution
- Do not decant solutions into smaller bottles for travel as they lose their sterility
- Although some solutions are approved for ‘no rub,’ it is still strongly advised to gently rub the lenses clean after wear no matter what the bottle says
- Saline may seem like a cheaper option to the patient if looking for solutions on a shop shelf, but they will not clean the lenses or provide antimicrobial protection
- Check the box for the expiry date and when to dispose of the content once opened.
Indications for use
- Multi-purpose ‘all-in-one’ solutions require the patient to rub, rinse and soak the lens to disinfect it. They are simple to use, readily available and can be used with any type of lens as long as it is stipulated on the bottle. However, they may cause irritation for some patients
- Two-step systems comprise a cleaner and a conditioner for storing the lenses and may be recommended for a deeper clean. Care must be taken to rinse off the cleaner as it can be toxic to the surface of the eye. This type of system is more common with RGP lenses nowadays
- Peroxide-based systems use hydrogen peroxide along with a specific case, or tablet, to neutralise the peroxide turning it into water and oxygen – which is why these solutions bubble. Typically, it takes four to six hours of soaking to disinfect the lenses and ensure that the peroxide is fully neutralised. This method is less suitable for someone who needs to be able to apply their lenses at short notice, or who takes short breaks from lens wear during the day. Peroxide-based systems offer very good cleaning, can be used with any lens type, and have a minimal risk of hypersensitivity
- Enzymatic liquid cleaners or tablets can be used with any lens type for additional removal of protein deposits from the lens surface
- Saline is sterile water plus salt and does not contain any active ingredients for cleaning. It is, therefore, only suitable for rinsing or refreshing lenses or filling hybrid or scleral lenses before application.
Other articles in this series
- A profile with CooperVision's country manger of the UK and Ireland, Debbie Olive
- The ABC of contact lenses:Katherine Franklin looks at the range of contact lens options available for patients
- The legal stuff: The AOP's Henry Leonard on understanding sale and supply rules
- A team approach to delivering contact lens care:Gillian Bruce on applying the key elements of a contact lens 'teach' in six steps
- Fact from fiction:OT's Ceri Smith-Jaynes discusses tackling common assumptions about contact lens wear
- Patient outcomes:Katherine Franklin discusses scenarios where patients can benefit from contact lens wear
- More than meets the eye: OT's Selina Powell on what the future of contact lenses might hold.
Image credit: Shutterstock
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More Practice team resources: Contact lenses
- More than meets the eye
- Patient outcomes
- Fact from fiction
- A team approach to delivering contact lens care
- The legal stuff
- The ABC of contact lens options
- "The whole practice team has a role to play"
