So you haven’t taken a holiday in quite a while. You’re in such a rush to leave behind the daily grind that you forget to pack one of the most important pieces of equipment that a contact lens wearer needs: your contact lens case.
By the time you realize your error all the stores are closed and you’re sitting in the hotel room pondering what to do with those two little discs that mean so much to you and your vision.
This scenario has happened to many people over the years and many innovative solutions have been tried, however, not all these ideas are a healthy choice for your eyes.
Keeping your contact lenses clean and sterile is extremely important for good eye health and so where and how you store them makes a difference.
Why Is It So Important To Store Contact Lenses Correctly?
When you first get your contact lenses your eye care professional goes through a list of care instructions with you. These instructions detail what kind of solutions to use for your particular kind of contact lenses, how to clean your contact lenses properly and how to store them overnight.
You know that you have to keep your contact lens case clean and replace it every 1-3 months, you know you’re to avoid getting tap water anywhere near your contact lenses or your contact lens case but do you know why this is such important advice?
Three reasons: Acanthamoeba keratitis, Fusarium keratitis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
– Acanthamoeba keratitis is a naturally occurring parasite found in tap water (and other water sources). It can infect the eye and destroy the cornea. Permanent vision loss is usually associated with this type of keratitis.
– Fusarium keratitis is a fungus that can aggressively attack your cornea and cause blindness. This infection is also associated with poor contact lens hygiene.
– Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium that lives in soil and water and can contaminate any area that has contact with soil or water. In rare cases it can cause the loss of your eye.
This is why proper sterilization of your hands, contact lenses and contact lens cases is paramount to keeping your eyes healthy.
How Should I Store My Contact Lenses?
If your proper lens case is not available then the first thing you have to find is a container that is clean and that can be sterilized.
All hotels usually have two small drinking glasses covered with lids for you to use. All hotels usually have a kettle to boil water for tea or coffee.
– Boil the water and then pour it into the drinking glasses, rinse the glasses a couple of times and then immediately pour the water out. Leave the glasses to air dry.
– Once the glasses are completely dry then put your normal contact lens solution into each glass.
– Put the glasses on your nightstand or table and put your left contact lens into the left positioned glass and your right contact lens into the right positioned glass. This way you won’t mix up your contact lenses.
– Gently tap the bottom of the glasses on the table so your contact lenses become submerged in the solution properly.
– Put the covered lids back on the glasses to prevent anything from falling into them while you sleep.
– Clean your lenses thoroughly in the morning and then buy a new contact lens case first thing.
NEVER use a homemade contact lens solution or plastic containers. If you forget your solution wear glasses until you can properly disinfect your contact lenses.