Storing contact lenses properly comes down to three things: using the right solution, keeping your case clean, and never letting water touch your lenses. Get any of these wrong and you risk painful infections that can threaten your vision. Here’s everything you need to know to keep your lenses safe between wears.
Always Use Fresh Solution
Every time you store your lenses, empty the case completely and fill it with fresh contact lens solution. Never “top off” old solution by adding a splash of new solution on top of what’s already in the case. Used solution has already lost much of its disinfecting power, and mixing it with fresh solution dilutes the new batch. Bacteria thrive in that weakened environment.
There are two main types of storage solution. Multipurpose solution cleans, rinses, disinfects, and stores lenses in one step. Hydrogen peroxide-based systems provide a deeper clean and are a good option if you’re allergic to ingredients in multipurpose solutions. They require a special case with a built-in neutralizing disc that converts the peroxide into gentle saline over time. You must wait four to six hours before putting lenses back in your eyes, or the residual peroxide will cause intense stinging and redness.
Soft Lenses and Rigid Lenses Need Different Solutions
Soft contact lenses and rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses are made from fundamentally different materials. Soft lenses contain water; RGP lenses are mostly silicone and contain none. Because of this, each type requires its own formulated solution. Using a soft lens solution on RGP lenses, or vice versa, can damage the lens surface and fail to disinfect properly. If you wear RGP lenses, look for a solution specifically labeled for hard or gas permeable lenses. Some hydrogen peroxide systems work for both types, but check the label to confirm before using one.
How to Clean Your Lens Case
Your lens case is one of the most overlooked sources of eye infections. Bacteria form a sticky layer called biofilm on the case walls, and once that layer builds up, solution alone can’t remove it. The routine is simple: after you take your lenses out of the case in the morning, dump out all the old solution, rinse every surface with fresh solution (not water), and leave the case open to air dry face-down on a clean tissue. A wet, sealed case is a perfect breeding ground for microorganisms.
Replace your case every one to three months. The American Optometric Association links overuse of old cases directly to serious bacterial contamination. Most solution bottles come with a new case included, so swapping it out is easy to remember when you open a new bottle.
Never Use Water on Your Lenses
Tap water, distilled water, bottled water, and homemade saline are all unsafe for contact lenses. Many lens wearers assume distilled water is a safer alternative to tap water, but no form of water is sterile enough for lens storage or rinsing. Tap water contains a microscopic organism called Acanthamoeba, which causes a rare but devastating corneal infection. Nearly 85% of Acanthamoeba keratitis cases occur in contact lens wearers, and the primary risk factor is exposing lenses to water. Cases have been linked to swimming pools, hot tubs, showers, and household tap water. Other dangerous bacteria commonly found in tap water and household plumbing can also colonize your lenses and case.
This means you should also remove your lenses before swimming or showering. If water does splash onto a lens, disinfect it with a full soak in fresh solution before wearing it again.
Where to Keep Your Lenses and Solution
Store your lens case and solution bottle at room temperature. Research published in clinical optometry journals found that refrigerator temperatures reduced the disinfecting power of multipurpose solutions, and that effectiveness against common bacteria like staph dropped markedly after two months regardless of temperature. Don’t leave your solution in a hot car, a freezing garage, or direct sunlight. A bathroom shelf or bedroom drawer at normal household temperature is fine.
Check the expiration date on your solution bottle, and note the discard-after-opening date if one is listed. An expired or months-old open bottle may no longer kill bacteria effectively, even if it looks and smells normal.
How Long Lenses Can Sit in a Case
If your lenses have been sitting in solution for more than a few days, don’t just pop them in. The disinfecting agents in multipurpose solution break down over time, and after several days the solution may no longer be protecting your lenses from bacterial growth. If you haven’t worn your lenses in a while, dump the old solution, refill the case with fresh solution, and let the lenses soak for a full disinfection cycle before wearing them. For hydrogen peroxide systems, run a complete new cycle with a fresh dose of peroxide.
Daily disposable lenses sidestep this problem entirely. They come in sealed, single-use blister packs and are thrown away at the end of the day, so there’s no case to maintain and no overnight storage involved.
Storing Lenses While Traveling
The TSA allows contact lens solution in both carry-on and checked bags. Standard carry-on liquid rules apply: bottles over 3.4 ounces should go in checked luggage unless you declare them as medically necessary liquids at the security checkpoint. Even when declared, the final decision is up to the TSA officer, and some solution formulas contain chemicals that trigger alarms during screening. To avoid hassle, pack travel-sized bottles (3.4 oz or smaller) in your quart-sized liquids bag for carry-on, and put full-sized bottles in your checked suitcase.
Bring extra solution. Running out mid-trip and substituting water or saline drops is one of the most common ways travelers end up with eye infections. If you wear daily disposables, pack a few extra pairs in case of travel delays.
Quick Storage Checklist
- Wash and dry your hands before handling lenses or the case.
- Rub each lens gently with solution for a few seconds before placing it in the case, even if your solution says “no rub.” This loosens deposits and debris.
- Fill the case with enough fresh solution to fully submerge each lens.
- Close the case and let lenses soak for the minimum time on the label (typically four to six hours for peroxide systems, less for multipurpose).
- After removing lenses, empty, rinse with fresh solution, and air dry the open case face-down.
- Replace the case every one to three months.