Switching to monthly contact lenses is an excellent way to balance your eye care budget, but it comes with a major responsibility: a daily cleaning routine. Unlike daily disposables that you toss out every night, monthly lenses live on your eyes for 30 days. Over those weeks, they collect a film of lipids, proteins, cosmetics, and environmental bacteria.
If you skip proper disinfection, that buildup restricts oxygen flow to your cornea, leading to irritation, dry eyes, or severe corneal infections. Taking care of your lenses protects your wallet and preserves your long-term vision. Here is the exact, step-by-step process to clean and store your monthly lenses safely.
1. The Daily Cleaning and Disinfection Routine
To keep your lenses pristine, you must follow a strict order of operations. Never rush this process, and never perform it over an open drain without a sink stopper in place.
Wash with plain, fragrance-free soap. Avoid scented liquid soaps as they leave a chemical film on your fingertips. Dry completely with a lint-free towel before touching any lens.
Place the lens in your palm, apply three to four drops of fresh solution, then rub both sides gently in circular motion for 15 seconds. This friction physically breaks down lipid and protein buildup.
Rinse the lens thoroughly with an additional stream of multi-purpose solution. Never use tap water, saliva, or homemade saline. Tap water contains microorganisms that can cause permanent blindness.
Place the cleaned lens in its side of the lens case and fill completely with fresh solution. Ensure full submersion, then secure the cap. Repeat the same steps for your other lens.
2. Managing Your Contact Lens Case
Your lens case is the most common source of optical contamination. Bacteria thrive in dark, damp environments, meaning an unmaintained case defeats the purpose of cleaning your lenses entirely.
Every morning when you put your lenses in, dump out the old solution completely. Rinse the empty case with fresh multi-purpose solution, wipe with a clean tissue, and leave it flipped upside down on a clean surface to air dry.
Adding fresh drops to yesterday's fluid dilutes the active disinfecting agents, allowing bacteria to multiply rapidly. Always dump completely and refill with entirely fresh solution every single time.
Replace your physical lens case every single month. A simple trick: toss your old case out every time you open a brand-new pair of monthly lenses. This keeps your hygiene on a consistent, automatic schedule.
3. Lens Care Best Practices: Dos and Don'ts
Use this quick-reference checklist to evaluate your daily habits and protect your ocular health.
- Use multi-purpose or hydrogen peroxide disinfection systems
- Replace your lens case every 30 days
- Put your lenses in before applying facial makeup
- Remove lenses immediately if you experience redness or pain
- Wash lenses or cases with tap water, distilled water, or saliva
- Mix different brands of contact lens solution together
- Sleep or swim in your monthly contact lenses
- Wear lenses past their strict 30-day expiration date
4. Recognising the Signs of Infection
Even with flawless hygiene, your eyes might occasionally react to environmental allergens or minor debris trapped under the lens. You need to know when a minor irritation turns into a medical emergency.
Final Thoughts
Your daily contact lens routine takes less than two minutes, but it makes a massive impact on the life of your eyewear and the health of your eyes. By prioritising the rub-and-rinse technique, dumping your old solution daily, and swapping out your case every month, you get to enjoy the convenience and savings of monthly lenses with total peace of mind.