The eyes are among the most sensitive organs of the body. As the source of what is perhaps the most important sensory information, you need to be very careful about what your eyes are in contact with. Rubbing your hands against your eyes, for example, is one of the practices you have to avoid if you want to keep your eyes clean and healthy.
Now, contact lens solutions are a great way to ensure that your alternative to eyeglasses are clean and safe for the eyes. However, with the variety of lenses available today, how do you know which one is best?
Different kinds of contact lens solutions
Contact lens solutions are important if you want to keep your contacts clean and hygienic. They can disinfect your contacts, cleanse them, and prepare them before you actually put the medical lenses into your eyes. However, it is a common misconception that all contact lens solutions are created equal.
Here are some of the more common kinds of solution:
Multipurpose contact lens solutions.
These solutions serve two functions: cleaning and disinfecting your lenses. They are formulated to clean the contacts without you having to rub them, earning them the moniker “no-rub” solutions. Frequent users would often just clean their contacts by replacing the solution and keeping the contacts in for 10 minutes prior to use.
This type of solution is popular among many people who use contacts for several reasons. One, they are perceived as being easier to use compared to their hydrogen peroxide-based counterparts. They are also less expensive and oftentimes function as both a solution and a lubricant.
Hydrogen peroxide-based lens care systems.
These contact solutions are also very popular, but they are not as easy to use as their multipurpose counterparts. They are formulated based on hydrogen peroxide, a chemical known as an effective disinfectant.
If you want to use this type of solution, you will need to clean your contacts with a separate surfactant solution before anything else. You will then have to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide before using your lenses because while the chemical may be good at killing germs, it is also toxic to your corneas. There are two types of contact solutions under this type: one-step and two-step.
One step solutions contain only 3% hydrogen peroxide. It also includes a system that neutralizes hydrogen peroxide into harmless saline solution. Two-step solutions entail soaking your contacts in hydrogen peroxide and then applying a neutralizer before using them. The last part is crucial to avoiding eye injury.
Saline solution.
Saline solutions are meant only for rinsing and not for disinfecting your contacts. In fact, they are perfect for rinsing your contacts before you disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide. For this reason, those who are using saline solution without cleaning their lenses may feel a stinging sensation in their eyes.
Daily Cleaners.
Like saline solutions, these are not meant to disinfect your contacts. They can, however, be used for rinsing and cleaning your contacts before you disinfect them.
Contact lenses are a brilliant solution as they allow people with eye conditions to see clearly without having to worry about cumbersome glasses. Since they make direct contact with the eyes, you need to take extra care to keep them clean and safe. Of the different types of contact solutions, pick the one or the combination which you think will keep your eyes at their best.
