Handling and care of Riged Gas Permeable (RGP) Contact Lens

to allow the eyes to have a break from the
contact lenses.
How to avoid problems with
contact lens wear
Contact lens wear can result in sight
threatening complications; to avoid these
it is important to follow the advice of your
contact lens practitioner.
Wearing time
You should not wear the lenses for longer
than has been recommended. You should
not wear the lenses if your eyes are red,
painful or the vision has become blurred.
Overnight wear of lenses increases the risk
of eye infections fivefold, and failing to
wash your hands before handling the lenses
doubles the risk of eye infection.
Tap water
You should not allow the lenses to come
into contact with tap water. The sightthreatening
organism acanthamoeba found
in tap water can infect the lenses and eyes,
leading to painful infection and scarring
of the cornea. This may cause a permanent
reduction in vision.
Swimming in lenses increases the risk of
acanthamoeba infection by 17 times. If you
do need to wear lenses when swimming you
should wear tight fitting goggles, and clean
the lenses and disinfect them after swimming.
Showering, or using Jacuzzis, while wearing
lenses also increases the risk of acanthamoeba
infection and should be avoided.
Eye infection rates are higher in contact lens
wearers who smoke.
Care systems
You should use the disinfection system
recommended by your practitioner. Ensure
you don’t use solutions beyond the expiry
date on the bottle. Discard solutions that
have been opened longer than the
recommended time marked on the
bottle.
If the lenses are removed for any
length of time they should be
disinfected before re-inserting
them.
Contact Details:
Optometry Appointments - 08454
223190
Optometry Clinic - 08454 223203
Postal Address:
Optometry Department
Cheltenham General Hospital
Sandford Road
Cheltenham
Glos. GL53 7AN
online version
GHPI0588_02_06
Author: Optometry
Review due: February 2009
Patient Information for the
Gloucestershire Health Community
Handling and care of
Riged Gas Permeable
(RGP) Contact Lens

Always wash your hands before handling
your contact lenses.
Insertion
It is usually best to work over a clean white
towel, this makes the lens easier to find if
dropped, and prevents damage to the lens.
Place the lens on your index finger, concave
side up.
With the fingers of your other hand hold the
upper eyelid firmly open, it is often best to
bring the hand from above to give plenty of
room to get the lens near to the eye.
With the middle finger hold the lower lid
down.
Bring the lens up to the eye and place it
gently onto the cornea.
Slowly release the lower lid, and then the
upper lid.
Then look to see whether you can see with
the lens, this tells you that it is in the right
place. If the lens has displaced in the eye you
can usually spot it on the white of the eye,
or feel for it.
To re-centre the lens you must look in the
opposite direction to the position of the
displaced lens, then hold the lens against
the eyeball by pressing through the eyelid,
and look slowly back to the lens position,
the lens should re-centre.
If the lens is under the upper lid it may be
necessary to look right down and move the
eye side to side, while massaging the top lid
to encourage the lens to drop.
To remove the lens
Look straight ahead, hold the outer edge of
the eyelids with your index finger, and bring
the outer edges up towards the eyebrow,
keeping the eyelids pressed against the
eyeball. Then simultaneously look in the
direction of the nose and blink.
The lens
should be
dropped onto
a suitable
surface.
Sometimes the
lens falls onto
the lashes.
online version
Another method of removal
Using both index fingers, place one on the
upper lid and the other on the lower lid
close to the lid margin, pull both lids apart
and then push the lids together, keeping the
lids tight against the eyeball throughout.
Cleaning
Lenses should be cleaned immediately on
removal from the eye.
A drop of a suitable gas permeable lens
cleaner should be placed into the lens and
the lens should be rubbed on the palm of
the hand for 15 seconds or so, then the lens
should be rubbed between finger and thumb
for a few seconds.
The lens should be thoroughly rinsed with
saline and stored in its case with fresh
wetting and soaking (conditioning) solution.
The lens case should be rinsed with fresh
disinfecting solution, and left open in the air
to dry when the lenses are being worn, and
should be thoroughly washed out once a
week, and cleaned with a cotton wool bud.
Regular replacement of lens cases is essential
to trouble free contact lens wear, ideally with
each purchase of fresh solution.
If your eyes become red, sore, or the vision
is blurred stop wearing the lenses. If they
do not return to normal overnight, or you
notice a discharge from the eyes you should
contact your GP, contact lens practitioner, or
the Hospital.
If you are prescribed drops or ointment you
can resume lens wear after the course of
treatment: consult your ophthalmologist or
optometrist.
It is advisable to have a pair of spectacles that
can be worn in case of eye infections, and