US guidance says lose the 'no rub' labelling

The US Center for Devices and Radiological Health has recommended that multipurpose solution (MPS) manufacturers remove the 'no rub' phrase from product labelling and emphasise 'rubbing and rinsing'.

The August 15 Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff, based on FDA recommendations from June 2008, also pointed out that the rub and rinse step resulted in greater reduction in microbes. The 'nonbinding recommendations' also suggested that the directions include a rinse step before placing the lenses on the eye and that this direction appear on the bottle for easy reference, as well as considering including reasonable rinse times.

It also recommended that MPS products be for cleaning, disinfecting, storing and rinsing only and that 'a contact lens solution that cannot perform all the functions indicated in the labelling should not be labelled as a multi-purpose contact lens care solution'.