Contact lenses are a great alternative for glasses; but they come with their own set of pros and cons. There are many varieties to choose from and you can surely find the one that’s perfect for your needs. Colored contact lenses are great if you want to make a fashion statement, vision correction lenses allow you to have freedom and liberty to do a lot of things in life that may be difficult if you wear glasses. But they need a far more strict care regime than the glasses because lenses come in direct contact with your eyes, so you need them to be thoroughly clean.
There are many
misconceptions about the cleaning of contact lenses and the most common one is;
contact lenses can be cleaned with water. I can’t emphasize enough on the fact
that it’s a complete No! Water and contacts never go well together and is a
combination that should be avoided at all costs. A considerable amount of users
fail to properly clean their lenses in the recommended way. Many people don’t give
due importance to the contact lens solution. In this article I will try to
eradicate all the doubts that one might have in using water instead of contact
lens solution.
Can you put
contact lenses in water temporarily?
The straight up
answer to this question is no, never! Water is not at all an alternative to
contact lens solution. Any type of water be it, tap, bottled, distilled or
saline it’s not suitable for cleaning, storing, rinsing and disinfecting
contact lenses. In some places like the UK the tap water is one of the safest;
people assume that if it is clean enough to drink then must be safe for
contacts as well. Eye care professionals strictly condemn tap water usage as
contact lens cleaner. Though it may sound tempting and very easy, it can cause
a lot of problems to your eyes.
Tap water
contains bacteria and microorganisms, if you store your contacts lenses in
water even for a short while, the bacteria can enter the contacts and adhere to
it. When you put them back on they can cause you a rare eye disease called
Acanthamoeba keratitis. This is a very serious infection of the cornea and can
be extremely painful and agonizing. It can lead to cornea transplant and in the
worst case scenario lead to blindness. Tap water or bottled water is not a disinfectant
either. To properly clean your lenses mean to disinfect them and water doesn’t
have disinfecting properties.
Letting contacts
sit in water overnight or for just for a few hours, can let the bacteria and
other contaminating pathogens to multiply in the meantime. Some people argue
that distilled water is safe to store contacts once it’s boiled. Well, there is
no way to be sure that all the bacteria and other living organisms have been
killed in the process of boiling.
Saline water is
saltwater, the pH levels are balanced. It is good to store the lenses once they
have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. If you put lenses in saline water
without cleaning them, then the bacteria will still be there and stick to your
eyes in the next wear. It should never be replaced as a contact lens solution.
Why is water
such a bad option?
This is a grave
fallacy but must be addressed in such a way that no doubt prevails. Water of
any sorts is not like our tears. Tears keep our eyes moist and saturated. When
we put the contact lenses in water, they absorb it and swell up. Holding onto
the water can cause a serious problem. As the water contains microorganisms and
bacteria they stick to the inside curve of the lenses and when applied to the
eyes can result in microscopic cuts in the cornea. When the contacts absorb the
water it swells up and changes the shape of the lens. It alters the actual
fitting of the lens and can make them lose or tight. If lenses are loose on the
eyes, they can move around and can be very dangerous. If lenses are tight on
the eyes, they will feel uncomfortable, scratchy, and itchy, and may also cause
redness.
Purify or get rid
of the lenses that come in contact with any type of water. This may be due to
any reason. The best solution is to throw them away, if that is not a
possibility make sure you properly clean, disinfect and store them overnight in
lens solution, overnight before putting them on again. This may reduce the
chances of infection but still the safest option is to never let your contacts
come anywhere near water.
How should I
store or disinfect my contact lenses?
A contact lens
solution recommended by your eye care professional is the only thing best
suited for cleaning and decontaminating your lenses. It is a liquid made with
many ingredients that ensure proper cleaning, storing and sanitizing of the
lenses. Different types of solutions are manufactured to cater different types
of lenses like soft lenses, rigid lenses, gas permeable lenses etc. They
safeguard the shape of the lenses, keep them sterile and properly hydrate them
so that you can experience a clear vision that is without any infection,
discomfort and blur.
What if I
don’t have my lens solution with me?
Well if you find
yourself in troubled waters where you need to remove the contacts but you are
out of solution. The best way is to throw them away and get a new one. It’s not
worth the risk, trust me. Eyes are the most important sense and one must not
take chances. Another great way is to switch to daily disposable lenses, no
need to worry about cleaning, disinfecting and storing. Just take out a fresh
pair every time.
Remember to never
let your contacts come in contact with the water. Not for a few hours, not even
once!
