Can contact lenses be stored in water or saline?

Looking at the ophthalmologist for a routine eye examination, at the door of my office I came across a previous patient. She quickly put on her sunglasses, but I managed to see her reddened eyes and sore swollen eyelids. As soon as the door closed behind her, the doctor sighed and said: “Madame decided that keeping the lenses in the water is a good idea. On a business trip, the solution ended, and she replaced it with some water from the kettle. ”

In what water can lenses be stored?

During the examination, we continued the conversation on the topic of storage of contact lenses, and I willingly share with you the recommendations of an ophthalmologist.

According to the doctor, whom I trust in taking care of my eyesight, there are only three options for replacing a special solution:

• saline solution;
• distilled water;
• moisturizing eye drops.

All three are temporary. This means that you can use them in an emergency, and after that you will definitely need to immerse the lenses in an enzyme or multifunctional solution for several hours for cleaning and disinfection.

The easiest way, perhaps, is to use ordinary saline. It is sold in any pharmacy, is inexpensive and does not harm contact lenses. But at the same time, he does not disinfect them, does not contribute to the removal of protein deposits, which inevitably appear on the lenses after several hours of wearing.

Distilled water is a worse option. She will not let the lens dry out, but this is where her possibilities end. You can’t keep the lenses in water for long.

It is easy in theory to turn distilled water into a saline solution - you just need to add 9 grams of salt per liter. But how much salt in the kitchen is free from impurities? Will it dissolve without residue? No one can guarantee this. Just one undissolved salt crystal can seriously harm the eye, so you should immediately abandon this option.

Almost everyone who wears contact lenses has moisturizing drops. But they are not cheap, so using them instead of a solution means spending 300-400 rubles at a time. Overhead. And, by the way, it is not very effective, because such drugs do not have a disinfecting effect and do not break down proteins.

What can not be used?

It is strictly forbidden to immerse the lens in the following liquids:

• in any water except distilled water (tap water, boiled, mineral, bottled drinking, etc.);
• in ophthalmic solutions not intended for contact lenses;
• into micellar water;
• into your own saliva.

There are a couple of discouraging items, right? Of course, about 10 years ago I heard one story: my friend’s aunt, so as not to throw out the fallen contact lens, brought her home in her mouth ... But it’s better to buy a new one. Anyone who has ever treated bacterial conjunctivitis will probably agree with me.

A bottle with micellar water resembles a bottle with an ophthalmic solution, but their common features end there. If you accidentally pour micellar into a container with lenses, you will have to discard the lenses. An emulsion with micelles will spoil the material of contact lenses and can lead to serious irritation of the cornea, even if the package says that the product is suitable for removing makeup from the eyes.

In the end, one more obvious - but for some reason not for everyone - truth: it is impossible to store lenses without a solution. Even in half an hour they will dry up and turn from auxiliary optical products into a direct threat to your eyesight.

So, if the solution for contact lenses suddenly runs out, the easiest and most correct option is to immediately buy a new one. If this is not possible, saline solution can be used as an emergency measure.If there is no access to the pharmacy, you will have to sacrifice moisturizing drops (almost the entire bubble will go away at a time). The worst option is distilled water. After such measures, when you finally buy a suitable solution, you need to soak the lenses in it at least for the night.