Study highlights the benefits of CL rubbing

Soft contact lens wearers should rub their lenses when cleaning them according to a new study.

Researchers from the Hong Kong School of Optometry discovered that lenses cleaned with a regime which included rubbing with fingers were significantly cleaner than those which were just soaked and rinsed.

The survey of multiple-use soft hydrogel lenses revealed that rubbing removed at least 80 per cent of loosely bound surface deposits. Lenses cleaned with rubbing were all graded in the study's top two grades (of five) of cleanliness, while 98 per cent of those not rubbed were in the bottom three grades.

Results of the study also showed that rubbing the lens with a finger greatly increased the effectiveness of the cleansing regime and that if the lenses were not rubbed, neither varying the length of the soaking period, nor changing the brand of solution made significant improvements to the effectiveness of the regime.