Question
Hi Dr. Berger, I have a really curious question. Well, you know how saline is soaked in the contact lenses when you first open a new pair? Well, I'm wondering why can't we use saline to soak and rinse contact lenses? If we are using a particular solution, then use saline to get rid of all the junk from that solution, and clean it really well and all around the surface, and then after rinsing insert it into the eyes and then use another solution later on in the day, would it be okay if saline is used to wash off the elements of the other solution? I hope that makes sense. If it doesn't, I'll explain further. Thank you. Magg
Answer
You can ALWAYS use saline solution to rinse soft contacts but they do not disinfect,that is it does not kill and destroy harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses, spores, etc. which can cause eye infections. Contact lenses are shipped sterile from the manufacturers in hermetically sealed packages in sterile saline solution, but once opened and worn in the eye, needs to be cleaned, dininfected, and rinsed. hope this helps you out
Dr.Ken
