Contact lens care in Reservoir
Everyday contact lens care, made clearer.
Clean hands, the right solution and a reliable routine help protect your eyes. This guide is for contact lens wearers who want to check their daily habits.
Your own lens and solution instructions come first. For choosing lenses or arranging a fitting, visit our contact lens fitting page.
Before handling lenses
Start with clean, dry hands.
Wash, then dry
Use soap and water, rinse thoroughly and dry your hands with a clean towel before putting lenses in or taking them out.
Check the lens
Do not insert a damaged lens or one with debris on it. If you are unsure about its condition, leave it out and ask for advice.
Follow your schedule
Keep to the wearing time and replacement date you were given. Feeling comfortable does not make it safe to extend a lens’s life.
Know your lens type
Disposable and reusable lenses need different routines.
Daily disposable lenses
Discard them after removal. Do not wash or store a daily disposable lens for another wear, even if you wore it only briefly.
Reusable soft lenses
Clean and disinfect them after removal using the care system recommended for your lenses. For a multipurpose system, follow its rubbing, rinsing and soaking instructions and use fresh solution each time.
Rigid lenses and Ortho-K lenses have their own instructions. Do not borrow a soft-lens routine or change products without checking that they are compatible.
Solution and storage
A clean case is part of lens care.
Use fresh solution
Empty used solution instead of topping it up. Keep the bottle tip clean and the lid closed, and follow the labelled expiry and discard-after-opening dates.
Care for the case
For a standard multipurpose-solution case, rub and rinse with fresh lens solution, empty it, dry with a clean tissue and leave upside down with caps off. Replace it at least every three months, or sooner if instructed.
Saline does not disinfect lenses. A hydrogen peroxide system requires its special case and the full labelled neutralisation time. Never put unneutralised peroxide in your eye or rinse a lens with it just before insertion.
Common avoidable risks
Keep lenses away from water and unplanned overnight wear.
Remove lenses before showering, swimming or using a spa. Never rinse or store them in tap water, bottled water or saliva. Water can carry organisms that cause serious eye infection.
Take daily-wear lenses out before sleeping or napping. Overnight wear needs a specific prescription and follow-up plan; do not assume it is suitable. Never share lenses, including coloured or costume lenses.
Carry current glasses when travelling or going out. If you run out of the correct solution, use your glasses and ask for advice instead of improvising a storage liquid.
A painful, red or blurry eye needs attention.
Remove your lenses and leave them out if an eye becomes painful, red, unusually watery or light-sensitive, or if vision becomes blurred. Seek urgent assessment; a contact lens infection can worsen quickly.
Go to an emergency department for significant pain, reduced vision or rapidly worsening symptoms, especially if prompt eye care is unavailable. Do not wait for a routine online appointment. Our Red Eyes guide and urgent eye-care information explain the warning signs.
Practical advice in Reservoir
Bring your questions and the products you use.
Reservoir Spectacles can review your contact lens routine and eye health. Bring the lens packaging, solution and case to your appointment where practical. Keep your recommended follow-up visits, even when your lenses feel comfortable.
Further reading
General guidance supports, rather than replaces, the instructions for your prescribed lenses.