

Incorrect care of contacts can increase your risk of eye infections and injury-and can cause blindness in rare cases, Lepri adds. Lepri, O.D., M.S., M.Ed., an FDA optometrist in the agency’s Contact Lens and Retinal Devices Branch.

“But over-the-counter products are not all the same,” says Bernard P. Other lens cleaning products contain hydrogen peroxide, which requires special care for safe use.Ĭontact lens solutions are sold over the counter, which means that you don’t need a prescription. For instance, contact lens multipurpose solutions clean, disinfect, and condition contact lenses. (Even if you have perfect vision, and your contact lenses are just “decorative” or “colored,” a contact lens prescription is required by federal law.)īefore you choose a contact lens solution, talk to your eye-care provider about the best cleaning and disinfecting method for you. Contact lenses require a prescription, and all products, including those relating to contact lenses, marketed to consumers must be determined to be safe and effective. Food and Drug Administration regulates contact lenses and certain contact lens care products as medical devices. If you wear contact lenses, the way you clean them can affect your vision and health.įollowing instructions and taking note of product warnings is especially important if you use a solution that contains hydrogen peroxide. Actual products may have a different design, depending on the brand.) Get this high resolution graphic on Flickr.

A red warning label and red tip remind you that contact lens solutions with hydrogen peroxide require special handling.
