This is how you clean your Contact Lens Cases Properly in Just 5 Simple Steps

Contact lens cases are greatly ignored. Despite numerous warnings from experts, patients keep using their contact lens cases past the expiry which runs horrendous risk of contamination. Cases are breeding beds of germs, and if not replaced once every three months; they may transfer bacteria to your contact lenses. You may be emotionally attached to your Kawai contact lens cases, because they are fun but acanthamoeba is not. Clean your contact lens cases properly once every 3 days the following way before its time to finally toss them off.  

1. Wash your hands with an anti-bacterial hand-wash. Pat them dry using a lint free towel. Disinfect your hands especially finger pads before touching your contact lenses or cases.
2. Throw any remaining droplets of your solution from the cases. Do not re use old solution as it has already lost its efficacy. Reusing or topping off your solution is gross.
3. Rinse your cases with fresh sterile contact lens solution. Rub your fingers in each well, even in the narrow crevices. You may notice a slimy bio-film- this is your actual target during disinfecting your cases.
4. “Rinse, Rub and disinfect” is the key to actual cleaning of contact lens cases. Tissue-wiping your cases further eliminates the risk of contamination. As per research, pollutants in air can cling to the cases when wet. Thus tissue wiping them after a rinse and letting them air dry with caps off and cases down is recommended.
5. Occasionally run your cases in dishwasher to disinfect them. In absence of dishwasher, you can sterilize your cases for five minutes in a pot of boiling water.

This simple procedure should be carried out at least once every week. Sterilizing once a month adds barrier against bacterial growth. Do not forget to replace your contact lens cases after three months & up cycle your old contact lens cases  to reduce carbon foot print.