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RGP Lens Care
RGP cleaning is accomplished with both surfactant cleaners
and enzyme products. Some surfactant cleaners contain mild
abrasives, others mild solvents and all have a detergent
formula for good cleaning. To remove protein build-up you
should use an enzymatic cleaner from time to time (recommended
once a week). Today's RGP enzyme cleaners are liquid and
used directly in the overnight disinfecting solution. The
enzyme tablets used with soft lenses will not harm RGP lenses,
but often are dissolved in saline solution, requiring the
RGP lenses to be properly disinfected before wearing. There
are also enzyme tablets that can be used with conditioning
and disinfecting solutions.
If you do not clean your contact lenses regularly your
eyes can get irritated and you'll have difficulties wearing
your contacts. This can lead eye damage. Bacteria, harmful
substances and other build-up can get on to your contacts
while you are wearing them. These substances have to be
removed on a daily basis in order to ensure clear sight
and, even more important, comfort for your eyes.
Because RGP lenses are resistant to deposits they require
less care than soft lenses. However, proper lens care is
a key ingredient in successful contact lens wear. To care
for your RGP lenses, you should use the following lens care
products:
 Daily
Cleaner
Soaking
(disinfecting) Solution
Wetting
Solution
Enzyme
cleaner |
Tips on RGP contact lens care:
Any time a contact lens is removed from the eye it must
be cleaned and disinfected before being reinserted.
Your eye doctor may recommend occasional enzyme cleaning
to digest any protein on your lenses. Some patients
deposit more protein on their lenses than others, so
not all RGP lenses need enzyme treatment. (Enzyme cleaning
is particularly helpful to patients with GPC or allergies.)
Tap water should never be used to clean or store your
lenses.
Wetting solutions increase RGP lens comfort by cushioning
the cornea as the lens is inserted.
With careful cleaning and disinfection, many RGP lenses
can last two years or more. Because they require less
care and last much longer than soft lenses, RGP lenses
usually, but not always, cost less over time than soft
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