Perils of wearing contacts and not thinking – oh how it burns

Clear Care Solution
Clear Care Solution
Dont put this stuff in your eyes

 

OptiFree
Optifree - Good Stuff

I switch from contact solutions, generally going with just the Optifree Replenish (no rub) solutions. It’s the one “the boss” likes to use.  It cleans your contacts fairly well. Sometimes just to save some money, I will use the generic brands, which seem to work just as well. Using no rub brands get the protein and other crud off the lenses. I am sure we are still supposed to clean/rub the lenses clean, but it says no rub, so i no rub. I am also supposed to switch out my contacts every month (I think) yet I dont. I think I have the same ones in for the past… 3 months now. I have yet to get any nasty fungal/bacterial infections. I am sure my optho/opto friends would smack me for this for sure. I just hate paying for contacts.

The most recent shopping excursion I opted to go with the Clear Care solutions. This one uses the nifty little cage with some sort of catlyst on the bottom. You put the solution in the container, drop the cage/contacts in and watch the bubbles. I believe this is supposed to help dissolve all proteins and what not. You have to let it sit for 6 hrs though to make sure all the solution has reacted and is no longer… basic? or maybe acid. Dont know.

Instructions
Straight Forward Instructions

 

Well apparently on the Clear Care website it has hydrogen peroxide:

“Clear Care® uses hydrogen peroxide that penetrates the lens and kills germs and bacteria for strong disinfection and deep cleaning.
Hydrogen peroxide is part of the Clear Care®Triple-Action cleaning process. After the hydrogen peroxide provides deep cleaning, a built-in surfactant loosens dirt, debris and deposits. Finally, bubbling action enhances surface protein removal…”

 

 

 

I mean I’ve read the instructions before, so I knew this. Never really had a chance to see what it felt like until today. I woke up this morning a little more tired than usual since I had a ViviBear  keep me up all night. Either way, I put one contact in, and then the second. I felt like I needed to clean the next one, so I grabbed my nearest solution. As soon as I put it in my- HOLY SH- it hurt like hell. O! the burning, the burning. From what I remember basic burns in the eye are worse than acid, because it keeps dissolving away at your eye, while acid burns will cauterize and stop melting everything away.  Suffice it to say I did rinse my eyes out for about 2 minutes, but now knowing this stuff has Hydrogen Peroxide… meh. My eye is fine. I am seeing fine. Doesn’t really hurt, but I can feel my f-up this morning still.

Well I still endorse all the products above. Make sure you follow the instructions though. I wish I got paid to say “I doctor _____ endorse this product.”

Maybe one day. Maybe its time for Lasik.