Water Is Not Contact Lens Solution

Rinsing a contact lens under the tap, or topping off the case with bottled water, is a shortcut the FDA says never to take. The agency says not to expose lenses to any water: tap, bottled, distilled, lake or ocean. Tap and distilled water have been linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal infection the FDA says is hard to treat.

The same rule covers homemade saline, which is not sterile. Contact lenses carry a risk of eye infections and corneal ulcers, open sores in the outer layer of the cornea that are usually caused by infection. These problems can develop very quickly, the FDA says, and in rare cases they can cause blindness.

To lower the odds of infection, the FDA says to rub and rinse lenses as your eye care professional directs, clean and disinfect them according to the labeling, and never reuse or top off solution in the case. It also says to take lenses out before swimming and to replace the storage case every 3 months or as directed.

If your eyes become red, painful, sensitive to light, blurry or gritty, the FDA says to take the lenses out and not put them back in, and to call your eye care professional right away. Keep the lenses in their case, the agency adds, because your eye doctor may want them to find the cause.