Replacing your contact lens case frequently reduces the risk of contamination that can lead to contact lens-related eye infections, according to a new study.
In research designed to evaluate the relationship between the age and contamination of storage cases for contact lenses, investigators at the Institute for Eye Research and the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) collected 64 lens cases from contact lens wearers who had no symptoms of eye problems.
Most of the participants in the study (95 percent) wore soft contacts. The researchers did not specify how many of these soft lens wearers wore color contacts. They also did not say if any of the participants wore theatrical contact lenses.
The contact lens solutions used by most participants were one-step multipurpose solutions (83 percent).
Bacterial and/or fungal contamination was found in 58 percent of the cases. There was no significant difference in the risk of contamination based on the brand of contact lens solution used.
Lens cases that were less than nine months old had a significantly lower risk of being contaminated than older cases.
The researchers concluded that the results of the study suggest that replacing contact lens cases frequently reduces the risk of contamination, and said the general consensus among optometrists is that contact lens cases should be replaced every 3 to 6 months.
SOURCE: Profile and frequency of microbial contamination of contact lens cases. Optometry and Vision Science. March 2010.
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