Perhaps some of you out there who wear contact lenses would be kind enough to share your thoughts and opinions on this subject.

Which contact lens solution and more so, which contact lens cleaning method do you prefer?

For the past 20+ years that I have been wearing contact lenses, I have always used the 1-Step Multi Purpose* cleaning solution, which has it's advantages in that you do not require any prep or special procedure to clean and store the lenses.
Just remove the contact lenses, fill up the storage container and place the lenses in, and within 12-hours, you're done.

On the other hand, I was recently advised to try out the Hydrogen Peroxide "chemical cleaning" method, which consists of a couple of additional steps; you have to rinse the lenses with saline first, then with the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution, then place them in the cylindrical container which has a Plastic-Platinum coated disc on the bottom of it, and let it soak for 6-hours or more.
You can see the Hydrogen Peroxide solution being 'neutralized' as the chemical reaction between the platinum disc and the solution creates gasses and bubbles, etc.

It may be too soon to tell, but my initial impression is that the Peroxide method seems to clean the lenses more thoroughly - they feel a lot more comfortable in the eyes than the ones that have been cleaned with the Multi-Purpose solution.

There are several differences and advantages/disadvantages to the two methods - for example:
-Multi-Purpose requires fewer steps, can be transported while in the case and can be stored in the case for almost 6-months or more.
-Peroxide method seems to actively clean the lenses (for what it's worth, you can see the bubbles) but you should not move the case around much while the cleaning is in progress and the lenses should be removed from the cleaning case by 72-hours or so after completion.
-Multi-Purpose cleaning does require that you do a 'final rinse' with pure saline solution after the cleaning process and before wearing them, to remove residue.
-Peroxide cleaning neutralizes all traces of the cleaning fluid and other impurities and you can wear them right away after 6-hours.
-Some people (I am not) are allergic to the Multi-Purpose cleaner solution (usually BASF TETRONIC 1394), but the Peroxide is turned into pure saline, so no worries there.
-Not that a few dollars matter to me, but as a rule, the Hydrogen Peroxide cleaning solutions are typically about 25% cheaper than the Multi-Purpose formulas.
There are other things, but these are the few that come to mind at the moment.

The Multi-Purpose contact lens cleaning solutions have some pros when it comes to storage and ease of initial use, but it seems that the Peroxide cleaning system has a few advantages in terms of comfort and moisture retention. Again, it is too soon to tell for me, since I just started to use the Peroxide method, but I would appreciate any ideas or comments.

There are other cleaning methods, such as heat and I think someone even sells some sort of bizarre microwaveable contact lens cleaning product (No Thanks!) - I will not be trying that.

Thanks,

-Nick
*My optometrist recommended the Alcon Opti-Free RepliSH brand to me over two decades ago, which is what I have been using ever since.
That one contains the BASF Tetronic 1304 and PolyQuad(ternum) cleaners.

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ObQuote: "I see", said the blind man to his deaf companion, as they picked up their chainsaws...

FWIW you could combine the procedures. Based on my optometrist's recommendations, I use the 1-step solution most nights, but halfway through my wear cycle (I'm in Acuvue Advanced, so after the first week) I use the peroxide solution. I find it's a good balance of methods.

More or less second the first reply. My wear cycle is 30 days but I (try and) use peroxide once a week, with a couple of caveats:
-I do not travel with it;
-Peroxide will sting and burn the eye if not allowed to neutralize. It takes a lot of rinsing to be able to wear the lenses if the 6-hour cycle cannot be completed for any reason, so it is best not to use peroxide at all on any night that has reasonable odds of being interrupted.

For the past 25 years I have worn disposable contacts (usually Acuvue). Wear them for 2-4 weeks at a time, sleep with them. In the morning they might feel a little dry but a couple of drops of saline takes care of that. When they start getting dirty (basically when you actually feel like you have contacts on - normally you don't feel contacts at all), throw them away, and wear your glasses for a day or so to give your eyes a rest. Then put in a new pair.

Much easier and less prone to infections. I've never had a problem.

Quoting nickh (Thread starter): My optometrist recommended the Alcon Opti-Free RepliSH brand to me over two decades ago, which is what I have been using ever since. That one contains the BASF Tetronic 1304 and PolyQuad(ternum) cleaners.

Replenish is barely 12 years old. You may have stayed w/i the Optifree family, perhaps starting with Opti ONe, then Optifree Express, then OptifreeReplenish and now Optifree PureMoist is the newest one out about 2-4 years now.

(Im an eye doctor, married to an eye doctor.)

While the Multi is fine in most cases, lately we have been switching our patients to the peroxide based solutions. They clean better. And in a lot of cases of contact lens discomfort, switching from an MPS to Clearcare solves comfort issues 90% of the time.

My only gripe with MPS is patients that "TOP OFF" solutions. They re-use the solutions THats just nasty...

Quoting mirrodie (Reply 4): Replenish is barely 12 years old. You may have stayed w/i the Optifree family, perhaps starting with Opti ONe, then Optifree Express, then OptifreeReplenish and now Optifree PureMoist is the newest one out about 2-4 years now.

Oops, my mistake. I was using another Alcon product before, and started using RepliSH less than 10-years ago.

So far, my verdict on the Hydrogen Peroxide cleaning method is certainly not negative -- in some ways the cleaned contacts feel better in the eyes than the ones cleaned with the Multi-Purpose solution.
Although it takes an extra step of preparation to begin the cleaning and storage process (not a big deal), the after process is as simple as just removing the lenses from their "cage" and wearing them right away.
I think that I will stick with this method at least until my current supply runs out at least and see if I want to stay with it. As one of you mentioned, I can always use both Multi-Purpose and the Peroxide method, whichever is more convenient at the time.

I do want to look into the 30-day contact lenses (supposedly you can leave them in for 30-days?) and see if they are worth the expense

Thanks much for the info,

-Nick

[Edited 2013-12-21 16:25:54]

I have always just used a multi-purpose no-rub solution. When I wore them daily I would rinse them off with saline solution before putting them in. My wife on the other hand uses a peroxide solution as it causes her less irritation.

For me the most important thing was ignoring the doctor's advice on what brand contact lens to wear. For me the cheapo brand, without all the oxygen breathing technology, is the most comfortable.

First - here are the lenses I use:


Typically use them for 45 days - Monday-Friday only. Been using this brand/ cycle for the past 13 years.

For lens cleaning, I've used a variety of solutions - including Complete, Renu but settled on this brand for the past 4-5 years:



Standard routine is:

Evening:
1. Wash hands with soap/ dry them
2. Take lens out on palm, squirt the solution on my palm, rub the lens for a couple of seconds, discard solution
3. Rinse with fresh solution, rubbing gently again, and discard the solution
4. Put lens in case, fill case with fresh solution

Morning:
1. Wash hands with soap/ dry them
2. Put lens and solution from case on palm, rub lightly, discard solution, insert lens
3. Just close the empty lens cases.

When I first started wearing contact lenses (1997), I used Complete solution. After a couple of months of very uncomfortable wear (always itching), it turned out that my eyes had bumps on them and I was allergic to something in Complete.

Since then I have used Renu and never had an issue. So I don't feel a need to try something new, lest I stumble upon something with the same "ingredient" as Complete that I am apparently allergic to.