Putting Contact Lens in the refrigerator.

[Hummer]

Anyone ever try this? Anyone recommend this? I always have the problem (during the warm seasons) of having my contacts feel salty and warm when I first put them in. During the cold seasons I never have this problem because the storage solution is also pretty cold with the air temperature.

BTW: I have Acuvue Oasys Lenses

 

[3nm]

I always have the problem (during the warm seasons) of having my contacts feel salty and warm when I first put them in.

how do you know if the contacts are salty?

 

[PlaceofDis]

how do you know if the contacts are salty?

probably picking it up from your fingers.

try washing your hands a bit more throughly before handling of 'em. ?

 

[siurpeeman]

aren't contacts supposed to be salty? taste some saline solution to find out for yourself. about your post, i actually find warm contacts to be really comforting. cold lenses give me a sort of shock like cold showers.

 

[Counterfit]

I like to keep my lenses at least 0.25" away from my eyes at all times.

 

[Leareth]

I dont think you are supposed to the All-in-One solutions in the fridge because it stops the enzyme activity that is suppossed to be cleaning the lenses.

I suggest you was your hands very well before putting them in. If they feel salty-gritty something is wrong with either your lenses or solution.

Oh and please use new solution everytime you put oyur lenses in.
I had a colleague who did not rinse out his case for months and kept topping up the liquid in it... he always wondered why he had eye infections...

 

[Hummer]

I dont think you are supposed to the All-in-One solutions in the fridge because it stops the enzyme activity that is suppossed to be cleaning the lenses.

I suggest you was your hands very well before putting them in. If they feel salty-gritty something is wrong with either your lenses or solution.

Oh and please use new solution everytime you put oyur lenses in.
I had a colleague who did not rinse out his case for months and kept topping up the liquid in it... he always wondered why he had eye infections...

I do wash my hands. Everytime repeatedly, I am someone affected by OCD but thats another story. It just happens through out the warm seasons when its really hot, 80+. It could possibly be sweat, but I'm not sure.

I use Opti-Free Replenish by the way.

 

[janey]

I had a colleague who did not rinse out his case for months and kept topping up the liquid in it... he always wondered why he had eye infections...

Oh god that is freaking nasty. I'm totally anal about keeping all of mine as clean as possible. I flip out when my mom washes out an open air-drying case with tap water, etc.

I do wash my hands. Everytime repeatedly, I am someone affected by OCD but thats another story. It just happens through out the warm seasons when its really hot, 80+. It could possibly be sweat, but I'm not sure.

I use Opti-Free Replenish by the way.

Well, what are you washing your hands with? And drying them off with too? Sometimes I get too much solution on my finger and it's hard to do anything with it when there's too much, so I wipe a finger off on my shirt and get lint on the finger without realizing...

I also hate Opti-Free Replenish, although ymmv . I got samples of it the last time I got new contacts a month ago, and I threw them out after a week. Every time I'd put in contacts they felt really grainy or annoying, and there was nothing wrong with the lens, and I switched lenses a couple times too (acuvue advance for astigmatism and biomedics xc user here). Switching solutions solved the issue.

I use Bausch & Lomb ReNu MultiPlus, and I like it a looooooot more. I don't remember what I used the last time I was on a contact lens spree, but I primarily used RGPs before so I guess it doesn't apply here.

I dont think you are supposed to the All-in-One solutions in the fridge because it stops the enzyme activity that is suppossed to be cleaning the lenses.

On a sidenote, I just grabbed a new bottle of ReNu today, and it says on the packaging:
PRECAUTIONS: ...Store solution at room temperature.


edit: I just realized half my post was completely irrelevant...
To add to the topic: I don't think it really matters where the lenses are stored, as long as you don't store the solution in too hot/cold of an environment where it does matter.

 

[smokeyrabbit]

"Purpose: To determine the effect of storage time and temperature on the efficacy of four multipurpose solutions for soft contact lenses.
Method: Aliquots of multipurpose solutions (OPTI-FREE Express, ReNu MultiPlus, COMPLETE and SOLO-care) stored at different temperatures over a 3-month period, were challenged with contact lens-related ocular pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans.
Results: The results showed that OPTI-FREE Express had the best activity against Ps. aeruginosa at all temperatures; ReNu MultiPlus performed well at 25°C; COMPLETE barely achieved activity requirements at all temperatures, and lost efficacy after 2 months. SOLO-care maintained its activity best against Ps. aeruginosa at 30°C. Storage at fridge temperature reduced activity of all solutions. Regardless of storage temperature, activities of all solutions against S. aureus markedly decreased by 2 months. Only OPTI-FREE Express met FDA requirements against C. albicans.
Conclusion: Performance of multipurpose solutions is affected by time and temperature of storage. Contact lens users should be aware that the efficacy of opened solutions may not be sustained for as long as 3 months. Manufacturers should reconsider their recommendations to further safeguard the ocular health of contact lens wearers."

from here. It's not quite the same as storing the solution at room temperature and then putting the case in the fridge overnight, which is what it sounds like you're doing. If you're following the normal replacement schedule for those lenses you probably won't be getting too much icky bacterial growth on the lenses in the 2 week period anyway.

I've never heard of someone storing them in the fridge for insertion comfort, but fall and winter campers store them outdoors at fridge temps with no problems.

Ask your eye doctor (as opposed to random internet strangers) about your symptoms. It's always possible to develop a sensitivity to a solution you've used for years or have a mild environmental factor pushing you over the edge into symptom-land that may be observable on the microscope.
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[macmama]

Hummer, I don't know about putting your entire contacts case in the fridge (though that does sound like it would feel really nice and cool on they old eyeballs... way to think outside the box!), but you could always rinse your contacts really thoroughly before putting them in with unpreserved saline. This stuff is not easy to find, alas, but Unisol makes it, and CVS also has their own brand. I bet you could keep it in the fridge if you wanted! It's just plain saline, no cleansing agents added.

I also put a few drops of plain saline on the lens itself before putting it in my eye, giving my eyes a little blast of cool.