Let’s get to the answer straight away, No! You cannot substitute lens solution with tap water, bottled water or even distilled water for that matter. Contact lens solution is used to disinfect, decontaminate and protect the contact lenses. Proper care is needed to clean the contact lenses as proteins in the eyes accumulate on the lenses, which can cause serious infection and damage to the eyes. Contact lens solution is manufactured commercially with various chemicals that not only purify the lenses but also disinfects them and completely removes the build-up of proteins around the lens. The solution also contains preservatives that keep the shelf life longer. There are many kinds of contact lens solutions available in the market. There are multi-purpose solutions, rub and rinse solutions, Hydrogen Peroxide solution and solutions for dry or sensitive eyes. But the main ingredients of contact lens solution are detergents, boric acid and other things to keep the contacts moisturized and sterilized. You cannot use water for any contacts you have.
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a rare disease of cornea. It’s a very serious infection and can be very painful and can also lead to corneal transplant. A main reason, leading to this disease is storing your lens in tap water. Although it’s tempting, it is condemned by the eye care professional as tap water contains many microorganisms and bacteria. Tap water is not salty like the tears in our eyes, so the contact lenses draw up the water and inflate. This causes a critical problem in the fitting of your lens and it will make it tight on the eye. You should also not put them in tap water for overnight as it is a very terrible idea. Tap water can infiltrate your lens and create microscopic cuts in your cornea, by which microorganisms can enter into it, thus causing serious infection.
You might hear that distilled water can be an alternative for lens solution, if you boil it. It is also not recommended, as there is no way to be sure if you’ve killed all the microorganisms. You should never let your contact lens come in contact with water. If you are going for a swim or splashing water in your eyes, heading for a hot bath or steam, doing water sports, water skiing, surfing the ocean or boating in rivers or lakes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Always remove your contacts.
Some people suggest putting the lenses in your saliva, in an emergency situation. Never think of doing it. You will thank me later. Your saliva is saturated with bacteria. It’s like putting it in a petri-dish.
There is a notable amount of people who don’t clean their lenses the way it should be. In fact 40-90% of the contact lens wearers fail to do so the right way. Sometimes you are all ready to start cleaning the lens and realize the bottle is empty! Or a last minute night –out plan made you forget to pack this little bottle. Whatsoever is the case, never use DIY contact lens solution. It can cause more harm than any good. It comes with serious risks and not at all recommended by eye care professionals. To make a proper solution, all the material should be sterile, which is hard to achieve at home.
As with any probable eye problem, prevention is the best bet. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, where you might not have a contact lens solution, always go for disposable lenses rather than reusable contact lenses. Carry a couple of pairs of disposable lenses and don’t worry about having a solution. At the end of the day simply take the lens of, discard them and take out a fresh pair. If you want to look amazing all the time, keeping your eyes healthy, don’t skimp on disposable lenses. It’s a very viable option if you are using lenses like colored contact lenses, circle contact lenses which are for show and vanity.
But for the people who use reusable contact lenses, here are some tips that you can keep in your mind, to avoid any unpleasant situation, as the contact lens solution is the only solution in order to keep your lenses squeaky clean and free from pathogens.
- A travel- size bottle of contact lens solution is a must have, whenever you are on the go. It is your best friend for those rainy days. This will ensure that you always have bacteria free lenses, at all times.
- You should also invest in spare cases of contact lenses. In case of forgetting one case, a spare case ensures that you always have a place to keep your lenses after cleaning them with the solution.
- Contact lenses have been your best friend for a long time? Eye drops are your new best friend for the optimal health of your eyes. Eye drops keep them moisturized.
- Contact wearers keep an eye on that expiry date of your solution. It’s not going to last forever so you will need to throw it out, after it expires.
- Read the instructions, written on the back of the bottle, carefully. This will guarantee that your lenses are disinfected and ready to wear.
- A common mistake done by contact lens wearer is that they keep on adding the solution to the existing solution. Never do that! Discard the solution every day and use fresh new drops.
- Take time to wash your contact lenses every night and replace them after three months or so. If you can’t remember doing it, opt for disposable contact lenses.
Water is not a disinfectant, nor is it a wetting or storing agent for contact lenses. In fact water and contact lenses are a dangerous combination. Also those YouTube videos making DIY contact lens solutions are not advised. All the materials must be sterile, which is very difficult to do at home. So it is not recommended to keep your contact lenses in water, not even for one night.