Cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses with hydrogen peroxide solution

Dr. Childs here. Recently I answered a question about the safety of cleaning contact lenses with hydrogen peroxide. Because it is such a common question, I would like to address it here.

Most solutions for cleaning and disinfecting soft contact lenses can be put into two different groups: multi-purpose contact solutions and hydrogen peroxide contact solutions.

Multi-purpose solution

Multi-purpose contact lens solutions are popular because they’re easy to use. You can use the same bottle of solution to rinse, clean, and disinfect your contacts. Although most people have no problems with multi-purpose solution, these solutions can contain preservatives and other things to which some people may be sensitive.

Hydrogen peroxide solution

Hydrogen peroxide contact lens solutions (like Clear Care by Alcon) are preservative-free and can be a good choice for people with sensitive eyes or allergies. Hydrogen peroxide solutions also do a good job of breaking up proteins and deposits on contacts during the disinfection process. This can help people who get a lot of buildup on their lenses.

When using a hydrogen peroxide contact solution, it is important to remember that the solution or a contact rinsed in the solution can’t be put in the eye directly without first going through a neutralization process. This process is done using a special case that comes with every bottle of solution. The case contains a grey-colored disk that creates a chemical reaction when mixed with the hydrogen peroxide, slowly turning the hydrogen peroxide into a sterile saline solution that is safe to put in your eye. This chemical reaction creates bubbles inside the case as it is working and takes several hours. The neutralizing disk becomes less effective over time, so you should change the cases and disk each time you open a new bottle of solution.

Hydrogen peroxide contact solution in eye

If you accidentally put hydrogen peroxide contact lens solution in your eye, it’ll burn and may be quite painful. Remove the lens right away and flush your eye with sterile saline. If you don't have saline, flush with water or an artificial tear drop and see your eye doctor as soon as possible. Although this can be uncomfortable if it happens, it will not cause any permanent damage to your eye.

Original published date: 1/24/2020

Updated date: 7/11/2022