Finding the Best Cleaning Solution for Your Contacts

It's no secret that contact lenses need to be cleaned on a regular basis to keep them from irritating or damaging your eyes. For many people the big question is which cleaning solution to use. There are quite a few on the market and it can be pretty confusing if you aren't sure what you're looking for.

Why Cleaning Solution is Important

Anyone who has ever tried to wear their contacts past the recommended amount of time will tell you that it can be pretty uncomfortable. In fact, without proper cleaning, tiny mineral deposits tend to form on the contact lenses and build up there. This can be a big problem, since those tiny deposits scratch your eye and leave it open to infection, which can result in corneal ulcers and other problems.

Scratches and irritations caused by contact lenses are more dangerous than others because the contact lens then sits on top of the injury and doesn't let it heal properly. The lens will trap dirt and bacteria against the scratch and provides the perfect, warm, humid breeding ground that infections love. This is best avoided by being careful to clean your contact lenses on a regular basis, as recommended by the manufacturer.

The right cleaning solution will dissolve these tiny mineral deposits and help disinfect your contact lenses from any bacteria they may have picked up as you handled them or within your eye.

Choosing a Contact Lens Cleaner

With so many options on the market, it can be confusing to select the right one for your contact lenses. The prices will vary drastically, so this could be a good way to make the distinction.

Most cleaners will contain saline, a handy bacterial killer that also soaks into the contact lens, leaving it soft and flexible. Saline resembles tears, so it's not irritating to the eyes. Letting the contact lenses soak in saline before placing them into the disinfectant solution will allow you to keep them as flexible as they are meant to be.

How much time you have will also help you decide which type of cleaner to use for your contact lenses. There are multi-purpose cleansers that will both disinfect and clean the grime from your contacts, or you can go with a multi-step process which tends to be more thorough. This usually involves soaking the lenses and cleaning them with a saline-based solution and then leaving them overnight in a disinfecting liquid, such as hydrogen peroxide, to remove all bacteria that could cause problems later on.

If you just can't decide which contact lens cleaning solution to use, you might find it useful to talk to your eye doctor about your options and also to friends and family who are already facing this issue. They may have a favorite cleaning solution that they can recommend.

The main thing to remember is to read the label and find out what ages it's for, if you will be cleaning contact lenses that are for children. Most solutions will be completely safe for children to use. Follow the directions on the bottle for the cleaning process, as well. Depending on whether you are using a multi-step cleanser or a single step one, the procedure will vary, but it's very important to follow the directions since doing the process in the wrong order can cause damage to your contact lenses. Cleaning solutions for contact lenses vary, but your eye doctor can recommend a good one if you aren't sure which to go with. Chances are, when you get your contacts, you'll be told which cleaning solution is best, but you can certainly experiment, as well.

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