HARD LENSES FOR ALLERGIC PEOPLE
Hard lenses do not absorb fluid in the way that soft lenses do. Even in gas-permeable lenses, only a tiny amount of fluid is taken up by the lens. Preservative-based systems can therefore be used on hard lenses without trouble by the chemically sensitive, since the agent can be thoroughly rinsed off before wearing.
The rinsing solution used is a sterile saline solution sold in ozone-friendly aerosol cans. Some brands of saline are buffered with chemicals that maintain the pH of the solution; these can cause problems. Make sure you are using an unbuffered saline solution – there are half a dozen brands readily available. Ask your optician or pharmacist to check for you if you are not sure which to use.
If you use a surfactant cleaner for your hard lenses, these will be thoroughly removed by overnight soaking and rinsing in saline.
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