How should I clean my contact lenses?
With the solution the lens is designed for, by rubbing and rinsing it and storing it in fresh solution in a clean case. Never with tap water, never with saliva, and never by topping up the solution already in the case.
- Subject
- Glasses & contacts
- Topic
- Contact lenses
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Procedures
- Contact lenses
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Reusable lenses are a medical device that lives against the surface of the eye. The steps are short and the reason for each is the same: whatever is on the lens goes onto the cornea, and the cornea has less defence against micro-organisms than skin does.
What this answer depends on
- Whether the lenses are reusable or daily disposable
- Whether your solution is compatible with the lens material
- How often you replace the case
Related guides
People also ask
The questions readers move to next from this one: the closest subjects first, from either question bank.
Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Glasses & contact lenses in Contact lenses . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
- Non-surgical option Glasses
- Comparison Glasses vs contact lenses
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Eye Health Information
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026