Do You Know This Secret Contact Lens Disinfectant Danger?
Submitted by Beauty Brains Blog
Starhopper says…Could you guys help me figure out what’s up with my old contact solution? When I first got soft contacts a couple years ago, my eye doctor recommended I use Clear Care contact solution. It’s based on hydrogen peroxide, so it’s supposed to kill all the little germies that get in there. The contacts go in this special case with little lens cages, then into the solution filled to the fill line. I used it every day. A couple times, I would try to put in my contacts in the morning, only to find that more than half the solution was gone, and my contacts withered and ruined. I mentioned it to my eye doctor, and she had never heard of this happening. She said to cut back to using it once a month or so, so I did. But it happened again! I wake up to contacts that have wavy edges and sting when I put them in my eye no matter how long I soak them in a regular saline solution afterward. I checked the Internet. There’s no reports of this happening to anyone else, and no number to call Clear Care customer service. I use silica hydrogel lenses (Acuvue Oasys, if that helps.) I’m not going to buy it again, but I’m just so curious. Help me, Beauty Brains! You’re my only hope!
The Left Brain is candid about contacts:
I have to admit that I was skeptical about your story, Starhopper. I found it hard to believe that a reputable contact lens disinfectant brand like Clear Care could ruin contacts the way you described. But with a little research I found a paper entitled “Hydration changes of Acuvue™ disposable contact lenses during disinfection” that explains exactly what’s happening here.
Contact lens disinfectant destruction
According to the authors (from the Corneal Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Optometry, University of Melbourne and the Laboratory for Contact Lens and Corneal Research, University of California at Berkeley) hydrogen peroxide disinfectants can alter the water content of Acuvue disposable lenses. Their testing showed that both one-step and two-step hydrogen peroxide disinfectant systems caused water loss (ranging from 2% to 6%, with the one-step system being the worst) while non-hydrogen peroxide formulas caused little to no change. Large changes in water content like this can alter the diameter, base curve, and thickness of the lens which explains the “withering” of your contacts. You can follow the link to read the entire paper but it sounds like this is the cause of your problem.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
If you’re wearing Acuvue lenses you’re advised to say away from hydrogen peroxide disinfectants. You might want to share the article link with your eye doctor; maybe she’ll give you a discount next time!
Has anyone else experienced problems with contact lens disinfectants? Leave a comment and share your misery with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
