Contact Lens Hygiene: The Basic Rules You Should Know

Contact lens hygiene is the set of rules that keeps your hands, solution and lens case clean when you put lenses in, take them out and store them. Because a lens sits directly on the front surface of the eye, any dirt and germs on it are carried into the eye too. The rules below sum up generally accepted eye health advice; the instructions for your own lenses come from your ophthalmologist.

Why does contact lens hygiene matter?

Contact lens hygiene matters because a lens is in direct contact with the eye, and a lens that is not kept clean can carry microorganisms onto the surface of the eye. A spectacle lens sits away from the eye, while a contact lens stays on the eye's surface all day. That is why everything that touches the lens matters: your fingers, the solution, the lens case and water.

Most of the rules are simple and consist of habits that take a few minutes. The hard part is applying them with the same care every day. A hand wash skipped in a hurry or old solution left in the case can be where problems begin.

A lens prescription is not the same as a glasses prescription either; it includes extra values such as base curve and diameter. We explain the difference between the two prescriptions in our article how to read a glasses prescription.

How do you wash your hands before touching a lens?

Before touching a lens, wash your hands with soap, rinse them well and dry them completely with a clean towel. This rule applies both when putting lenses in and when taking them out.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water; do not skip your fingertips and the base of your nails.
2. Rinse off the soap completely. Soap residue that gets onto the lens can make the eye sting and burn.
3. Dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel that does not shed fibres. Touching a lens with wet hands means carrying tap water onto the lens.
4. Hold the lens with your fingertip, not your nail; a nail can scratch or tear the lens.

Short, clean nails make it easier to handle lenses. Hand cream, lotion and sunscreen can transfer from your fingers to the lens; apply these products after you have put your lenses in. The same order applies to make-up: put make-up on after your lenses are in, and take your lenses out before removing make-up.

How are lenses cleaned and stored?

A lens is cleaned by rubbing and rinsing it with the solution advised by your ophthalmologist, then stored in a clean case filled with fresh solution. Single-use daily lenses are outside these steps: they are thrown away after removal and are not cleaned and worn again.

1. Place the lens in the clean, dry palm of your hand and add a few drops of solution.
2. Rub the lens gently with your fingertip. Rubbing loosens the deposits and germs clinging to the surface.
3. Rinse the lens with fresh solution.
4. Fill the compartments of the case with fresh solution and place the lens so that it is completely covered by the liquid.
5. Close the lid and leave the lens for as long as the solution's instructions say.

Three rules about solution never change:

• The solution is renewed every time. The old solution in the case is poured out, and nothing is added on top of it.
• The tip of the bottle does not touch your finger, the lens or the counter; the cap is closed after every use.
• Solution past its expiry date is not used.

No other liquid is used in place of solution. Tap water, bottled water, saliva and homemade salt water do not clean the lens and can even carry germs onto it.

How do you keep the lens case clean?

The lens case is emptied after every use, rinsed with fresh solution and left open to dry. The case is not washed with tap water. For drying, choose a clean, dry surface rather than the edge of the basin, where water can splash.

The case is replaced with a new one about every three months. A case that is cracked, scratched or whose lid does not close properly is replaced without waiting.

Which mistakes should you avoid when wearing contact lenses?

The main mistakes to avoid when wearing contact lenses are letting the lens come into contact with water, reusing solution, exceeding the wearing period and sleeping in lenses. The table below shows these mistakes and the reasons for them.

Why is the wearing period never exceeded?

The wearing period of a lens is the period of use the manufacturer intends for that lens, and it is not exceeded. A daily lens is worn for one day and thrown away; a monthly lens is thrown away when its period ends after the pack is opened. The period is counted by the calendar from the day you open the pack, not by how many times you have worn the lens.

Over time, deposits from tears build up on the lens surface, and cleaning cannot remove them completely. Even if the lens still looks usable, it is thrown away when its period ends. Which period applies to you is written on your prescription and on the lens packaging.

Can you swim in the sea or the pool, or shower, with lenses in?

You are advised not to swim in the sea or the pool or shower with lenses in, because microorganisms in water can cling to the lens and cause a serious eye infection. This advice is the same for sea water, pool water and tap water. Water can change the shape of the lens and make it stick to the eye, and the microorganisms in it can get trapped between the lens and the eye.

A holiday day in Belek and Kadriye is usually spent between the sea and the pool. A few practical notes for lens wearers:

• Take your lenses out before going into the water. Do this somewhere you can wash and dry your hands, not with hands covered in sand, salt or sunscreen.
• Keep your spare glasses with you. They let you see during the hours when you cannot wear lenses.
• Carry solution in its own sealed bottle. Liquid can become contaminated when it is decanted into small travel bottles.
• Do not leave solution and the lens case in the hot sun or in a hot car; storage conditions are printed on the bottle.
• The rule is the same in your hotel room: lenses and the case do not touch tap water.

If water gets into your eye while you are wearing lenses, take the lens out with clean hands. Ask your ophthalmologist whether you can wear that lens again.

We have collected other eyewear topics for your holiday in our visitor's guide for Belek and Kadriye.

Which symptoms mean you should take the lens out and see an ophthalmologist?

If redness, pain, blurred vision or sensitivity to light appears, take the lens out and see an ophthalmologist. Follow the same course for unusual complaints such as stinging, burning, watering or discharge. Only an ophthalmologist can assess the cause of these symptoms through an examination.

Why should a lens wearer keep a spare pair of glasses?

Spare glasses let you keep seeing in any situation where you cannot wear lenses. When your eye is red, when a lens tears or gets lost, when your solution runs out and on days when you will be in the water, glasses take the place of lenses. Someone without a spare pair may be tempted to keep wearing a lens they should take out; this is how the rules start to bend.

To carry your spare glasses in a hard case and keep them clean, see our guide on how to clean and care for glasses.

What is a daily checklist for lens wearers?

A daily checklist for lens wearers has seven steps, from washing your hands to your spare glasses. The list is a short summary of the rules in this article.

1. Wash and dry your hands with soap before touching a lens.
2. After taking a lens out, rub and rinse it with solution.
3. Fill the case with fresh solution every time; do not top up old solution.
4. After use, empty the case, rinse it with solution and leave it open to dry.
5. Take your lenses out before going into the water and, unless your doctor says otherwise, before sleeping.
6. Keep track of the expiry of your lenses, case and solution; do not use anything past its date.
7. Carry your spare glasses with you.

Who chooses contact lenses, and who does the check-ups?

Contact lenses are chosen and fitted by an ophthalmologist; in Türkiye, contact lenses are supplied against an ophthalmologist's prescription. An optician does not examine the eyes or choose lenses; they only supply lenses according to the prescription the doctor has written.

Which lens to wear for how many days, which solution to clean it with and how many hours a day to wear it are decisions for the doctor. You also learn to put lenses in and take them out for the first time with your doctor, in the way they show you. The rules in this article do not replace those instructions; they support them. Keep up your check-ups at the intervals your doctor sets, and take any question you have about hygiene to them.