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Have you ever wondered what the differences are of all the Soft Contact Lens SALINE products you see on the shelves?Keep reading and you'll find out!Saline Solutions Soft contact lenses need to stay hydrated (wet). This is accomplished by soaking them in fluid. It cannot be any fluid. It cannot be plain water. It must be in a solution that is formulated to be compatible with the tears of the eye. This ends up being a form of salt solution, known as saline. Saline (Unpreserved) This saline is usually a 0.9% NaCl solution. Buffering agents are included as well to keep the pH within the body's normal range (6-8). There are no extra chemicals so this is a perfect rinsing agent for anyone with allergies or sensitivites to the other solutions. It must be noted that there are no ingredients to kill or control bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc. THIS IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR SOFT CONTACT LENSES STORAGE . (Unless you are disinfecting your lenses the old fashioned way, with heat. This is hardly used any more with today's newer materials) Non preserved saline has a very short shelf life unless it's packaged in an aerosol can. Saline (Non -Thimerosal Preserved) Thimerosal is a mercury based preservative. Years ago it was incorporated into saline as a perservative, to increase the shelf life by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, etc. Over time, many allergies and toxicities resulted so it was discontinued. Other preservatives needed to be developed to extend the shelf time of saline. Today, there are many different salines available (by the various companies) using various ingredients, but all beginning with a basic sterile isotonic solution. These solutions are used for rinsing. They are not meant to store lenses for any length of time as there are no "killing" agents for bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc. Some folks are sensitive or allergic to some of the ingredients. Multi Purpose Saline - (Disinfecting /Combination solutions) These multi purpose saline (MPS) solutions are formulated for cleaning, rinsing and disinfection of soft contact lenses. These are the solutions that soft contact lenses need to be stored in. There are preservatives to maintain the shelf live of these products as well as to kill or control the growth of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, etc. Some folks are sensitive or allergic to some of the ingredients. Many times if one product does not work for an individual, another one will. It should be noted that although a multi purpose saline has cleaning agents in it, it may not clean a soft lens as thoroughly as a contact lens (daily) cleaning product in certain instances. Disclaimer Privacy Terms of Use |
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