Let's talk about the care solution for OK lenses

In daily use, due to the characteristics of the material, OK lenses easily attract protein molecules, lipids, bacteria, etc. to adhere and precipitate on the surface of the lens. Standardized lens care can not only ensure the effect of corneal reshaping and myopia prevention and control, but also greatly reduce problems such as eye infections caused by wearing lenses.

However, there are so many types of such products on the market, how should parents choose? In this article, Dr. Jingcai will talk to you about it. As usual, it is pure popular science, no deception, no selling.

First, use a table to select some representative products, and then Dr. Eye Color will show you how to understand them one by one. Most products on the market can actually be classified into the four categories in the table below. You can choose according to the category.

The first one is called "Hydrogen Peroxide Care Solution" and its main ingredient is "hydrogen peroxide". Its aqueous solution is hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in the medical field for wound disinfection and environmental disinfection. It can effectively kill pyogenic cocci, intestinal pathogens, etc. Therefore, the care solution with hydrogen peroxide as the main ingredient has a strong bactericidal and protein-removing effect. It is suitable for deep cleaning of OK lenses once a week.

Some parents may ask, pharmacies also sell hydrogen peroxide, and it is cheap, can we use it? To be honest, it can be used, but it is not recommended. Hydrogen peroxide has a strong ability to remove protein and kill bacteria. If it comes into direct contact with the eyes, it will cause strong irritation and damage to the eyes. Therefore, in addition to a bottle of liquid, the hydrogen peroxide care solution products dedicated to OK lenses usually also provide "neutralization cups" and "neutralization tablets" with the product. The ingredients of the neutralization tablets are catalase, etc., which can decompose hydrogen peroxide; the alloy metal ring in the neutralization cup can also react with hydrogen peroxide and decompose hydrogen peroxide. Through these methods, the content of hydrogen peroxide attached to the surface of the OK lens is greatly reduced, and then it is thoroughly cleaned with a multi-functional care solution or a flushing solution, so that wearing it will not cause damage to the eyes. Of course, the hydrogen peroxide purchased from the pharmacy does not come with these. If you want to use it, you must make sure that you use a multi-functional care solution or a flushing solution to repeatedly and thoroughly rinse the lens before wearing it, so that it can be worn safely.

Hydrogen peroxide-based care solutions may also contain other auxiliary ingredients, such as the product in the table that contains Dequest 2060, which is diethylenetriaminepentamethylenephosphonic acid and a peroxide stabilizer. You don’t need to know much about it.

The second one is called "Multi-functional Care Solution".

Since it is mainly multifunctional, the ingredients must be more complicated: the ingredient "polyhexamethylene biguanide" is an antibacterial agent that has a sterilization and disinfection effect; "Poloxamer" is a surfactant that has a surface cleaning effect; Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose is the main component of many artificial tears and can increase the viscosity of the solution. In the multifunctional care solution, it mainly plays a role in improving the ocular surface sensation when wearing glasses; Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid is a widely used stabilizer, antioxidant, preservative, and chelating agent.

This kind of multifunctional care solution product is mainly about "saving trouble". Cleaning, sterilizing, rinsing and preserving OK lenses can all be done with one bottle.

Can we really only use multi-purpose care solution and omit other things like protein removal and rinsing solution? Yes, but it is not recommended. It is better to use protein removal care solution or hydrogen peroxide care solution once a week or every other week for a deep clean. If the child's eyes are very sensitive, after using multi-purpose care solution, they will easily get red eyes and discomfort when wearing glasses, so rinsing solution cannot be omitted.

The third one is called “Protein Removing Care Solution”.

The ingredients include sodium hypochlorite, anhydrous sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, potassium bromide, and pure water. Sodium hypochlorite is a common disinfectant, detergent, and bleach; sodium carbonate, also called soda or soda ash (actually a salt in chemistry), is widely used as a cleaning agent and detergent; "sodium hydroxide", also called caustic soda, has a strong alkalinity and is also widely used as a precipitant and detergent.

Protein removal care solution is best at removing protein components from the surface of the lens. Usually, soaking the lenses in protein removal care solution for about 30 minutes every week or every other week can achieve a good protein removal effect.

It is important to note that after the lenses have been treated with protein-removing care solution, they also need to be thoroughly cleaned with multi-purpose care solution and flushing solution before they can be stored or worn.

The fourth one is called "flushing fluid".

The main ingredients are "sodium chloride" - normal saline. "Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose", which we have seen before, is one of the main ingredients of artificial tears; "polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride" - a preservative.

The main function of the flushing solution is to thoroughly rinse the OK lenses before wearing them to ensure that there are no residues of other care products, especially hydrogen peroxide and protein removers, when wearing the lenses.

Some parents may ask, can I just use saline solution? Can mineral water? Can purified water? Can distilled water?

Except for mineral water, other water, especially saline, is really OK. But you need to: make sure the liquid is not contaminated; find a way to make the liquid form a water column to exert a certain flushing force on the lens, such as using a syringe to remove the needle to "swish" the lens.

To sum up: parents should not be scared by the variety of products, they can basically be classified into the four categories introduced in this article.

- To save trouble: Close the eyes and apply the multi-purpose care solution. During use, if the lens is in good condition and the child's eyes are not uncomfortable, other things can be ignored;

-More standardized approach: Use multi-purpose care solution for daily care; use hydrogen peroxide or protein remover for deep cleaning once a week/every other week, and use rinse solution/saline solution to wash thoroughly after cleaning;

- Obsessive-compulsive disorder version: Use multi-purpose care solution for daily care, and use rinsing solution or saline solution before wearing the glasses; deep clean with hydrogen peroxide + protein removal care solution once a week, and use rinsing solution/saline solution to clean thoroughly after cleaning;

Okay, that’s all we have to say about the care solution for OK lenses.

If you find this article helpful, you are welcome to share it with more parents. While helping them, you are also helping us. Thank you.
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About Dr. Jingcai: The creators of Dr. Jingcai's popular science content all have a professional background in ophthalmology, a master's degree or above, and are former ophthalmologists. For some popular science content with a higher degree of professionalism, we will also invite working ophthalmologists and optometry experts to review and check it, striving to be responsible for the accuracy of the content and avoid misleading readers.