Gas Permeable Contact Lens Solution

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses require more careful cleaning than soft disposable lenses. Why? Because, rigid lenses are intended to last for at least a year, usually far longer, and that means that bacteria and protein deposits can easily build up on the lenses.

If you hold one of the contacts up to the light, you'll see what I mean, and if you ever asked your optician to look at the lenses through an ultra-violet light, you might be horrified at how dirty they appear!

When I first wore lenses 30 years ago, I had to use two different cleaners and then soak my lenses in a weekly enzymatic cleanser to get rid of fat and protein depoits, which was horrible as the solution, called LC65, stank! It was also a real pain, as you had to allow plenty of time after soaking the lenses in the stuff to neutralize the "disinfectant", before you could re-insert the lenses.

Clean Contacts with the Right Gas Permeable Contact Lens Solution

Clean Contact Lenses

The two step cleaning routine is one of the many reasons why people switch to soft disposable lenses; with daily disposables, you don't even need a lens cleaner as you just throw them away at the end of the day!

But rigid gas permeable lenses are still preferred by many people, not least as they often provide clearer vision and, crucially, they are a cheaper option than buying more expensive disposable lenses. They may also be the only option if you want to wear contact lenses as certain bifocal or toric lenses only come in rigid form.

The good news is that modern gas permeable contact lens solution is super easy to use and the disinfection/extra cleansing stage can be done overnight, using the same lens case. In many cases, there's not even a need for a weekly enzymatic clean; in short no hassle.

Boston Contact Lens Solution

One of the most popular RGP lens cleaning systems on the market today is Boston contact lens solution, made by trusted contact lens manufacturer Bausch and Lomb. There are several different products, both one step and two step solutions, depending on how much protein your tears produce naturally.

Boston Simplus - $10.95.

Boston Simplus is the easiest product to use as it's a multi-purpose solution, specially made for RGP contact lens wearers with busy lifestyles and no time for multiple cleaning processes.

You do need to rub and then rinse your lenses prior to insertion, but otherwise, Boston Simplus cleans, rinses, disinfects and conditions your contacts.

A 5ml bottle of re-wetting drops comes with the solution to put on the lenses prior to insertion, to allow longer, more comfortable wearing times.

The Boston brand also offers an ordinary ORIGINAL Boston care system priced at $9.95 and an ADVANCE Boston care system priced at $10.95

They both come with a cleaner, a conditioning solution and a weekly enzymatic cleaner (odorless!), which is simply added to the conditioning solution and left to soak for 4 hours.

You do have to follow the cleaning/disinfection instructions carefully to ensure that no residual enzyme cleaner is left on the lenses, but there is no need for separate cleaning vials. It's an easy way to keep stubborn deposits off your RGP contacts and Boston is the #1 doctor recommended gas permeable contact lens solution, even for people who need a more thorough cleaning regime.

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