UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi All - and a Very Happy New Year.

Anne very kindly sent me the last conference DVD and much more very interesting and useful information (thank you Anne)

However I'm in a panic with all the discussions on solutions - since I got my first lenses 20 years ago I have never used any solutions - my optician at the time told me just to wash them in cooled down boiled water, and to store them in a clean dry container.

I'm not advocating this, but I've never had any problems, and never had an infection. I've got an appointment at my local eye clinic early next month, so I will ask them.

Has anyone else been given this advice ?

Chris xx

Chris,

Hey there! I know that some people here do this but i have never been told to do it. I use Tesco cleaner and Boston conditioning solution and saline to rinse them. Personally i don't trust that our water is clean enough to use and thought that comfort wise storing them dry would be worse. Sclerals were the only lenses i stored dry.

If it works for you though then it's different! Times do change though so maybe what you were told before was the rule then? I have been wearing lenses for 16 years though and have never been told that. I would suggest talking to your optom to see what they think?!!

Hoping you get it sorted soon, Sweet X x X

Tap watre is very clean when it leaves the water purification place. However it then goes through many miles of pipework which leaks at varying rates depending where you live in the UK so there is potential for all manner of infections.

Bugs live all round the exit point of the tap which can then entre clean water.

At work we regularly do micro tests on the tap water regardless of weather it is labelled as suitable for drinking and the water used in making medicinal products. There is only one source that passes as fit for use in medical products in that it is strile when it comes out the tap and that goes through £10K worth of bench filtration and is filterd again as it is dispensed and undergoes UV treatment.

Saline solutions and lens cleaning solutions use water that meets the later grade above.

There is a very good arguement for 'Don't fix what ain't broke'. When I used to play rugby, many a time occured where I would pick the lens up, scrape the mud off with spit and put it back in my eye. Never had an eye infection.

Now I am older and wiser 20 years on as a qualified microbiologist I would recomend the use of the proper cleaners. Plus after seeing many presentations on corneal infections.