What is the best way to clean lenses, if necessary? Can the solution in the case be used for several days?
A categorical “no”. Don’t worry though, it’s a disaster! Even if you wear lenses infrequently and they soak in the solution for a week, ophthalmologists recommend changing it every day. Do not forget that the environment in which contact lenses retain their functionality – moist, warm, dark – is very popular with microbes and bacteria. There are billions of them on your hands, regardless of your love for cleanliness, and when you put your lenses in a case, you also move bacteria from your fingers there. It does not mean that if the lenses lie in the solution longer, it will kill more germs. Some of them will be destroyed, but many will survive as the activity of the cleansing liquid decreases over time.
It is worth knowing that tap water is not the best friend for contact lens wearers. Never wash your lenses and case under a tap, because plain water is home to many unpleasant creatures and, in particular, acanthamoeba, which, if it enters the eye, can comfortably live and multiply under the lens, causing acanthamoeba keratitis, which is fraught with irreversible visual impairment. And before you touch the lenses when you wash your hands, they should be dried with a disposable tissue or paper towel so as not to drag the harmful amoeba into the case or onto the lens.
And, of course, everyone who wears lenses must follow additional safety rules on the water. That is why it is more convenient to use “one-day” during the holidays. Avoid showering, bathing, or splashing in hot tubs while wearing contact lenses. If you are involved in water sports such as swimming or surfing, it is highly recommended to use goggles.