How to Clean Contact Lenses Without Solution: Safe Options

You should not clean or disinfect contact lenses with water, saliva, eye drops, or a homemade saline mixture. If you have no approved contact lens solution, remove the lenses with clean, dry hands and do not reinsert them until they can be cleaned and disinfected according to the product instructions. Discard daily disposable, damaged, dried-out, or contaminated lenses.

Running out of contact lens solution is frustrating, especially when you are traveling or preparing to remove your lenses at the end of the day. However, an improvised liquid can introduce contamination or fail to disinfect the lens. The safest response depends on whether you wear daily disposable or reusable contacts and what happened to the lens.

Can You Clean Contact Lenses Without Solution?

There is no safe household substitute that performs the same cleaning and disinfecting functions as an approved contact lens care product. Removing visible dirt is not the same as disinfecting a lens. A lens may look clean while still carrying microorganisms or deposits that are not visible.

If you wear reusable lenses, wait until you have the care system recommended for that lens type. If safe cleaning and storage are not possible, replacing the lens is preferable to experimenting with water, saliva, eye drops, or a homemade mixture.

Daily disposable lenses are different. They are designed for one day of wear and should be discarded after removal. They should not be cleaned, stored overnight, or worn again the next day.

What Should You Never Use on Contact Lenses?

Tap, Bottled, or Distilled Water

Do not rinse, clean, or store contacts in any type of water. This includes tap, bottled, filtered, and distilled water. Water is not a disinfecting solution and should not come into contact with lenses that will be placed back on the eye.

Saliva

Never put a contact lens in your mouth or use saliva to moisten it. Saliva is not sterile and is not designed to clean or disinfect contact lenses.

Eye Drops or Rewetting Drops

Eye drops may be intended to lubricate the eye or improve comfort while wearing lenses, but they are not a replacement for cleaning and disinfecting solution. Do not use them to fill a lens case or store contacts overnight.

Homemade Saline

Do not prepare a contact lens solution from boiled water and salt. A homemade mixture is not a sterile, approved care system and cannot provide reliable disinfection.

Ordinary Hydrogen Peroxide

Do not apply household hydrogen peroxide directly to contact lenses. A contact lens peroxide care system is a specific product that requires its dedicated neutralizing case and the complete neutralization time stated on the label. It should only be used exactly as directed.

What to Do If You Run Out of Contact Lens Solution

Use the steps below to decide what to do next.

If You Are Still Wearing the Lenses

1. Wash your hands thoroughly.
2. Dry them with a clean, lint-free towel.
3. Remove the lenses carefully.
4. Discard daily disposable lenses immediately.
5. Do not place reusable lenses in water, eye drops, or a homemade liquid.
6. Wear your glasses until you have the correct lens care product or a fresh replacement pair.

If you cannot safely clean and store a reusable lens, do not put it back on your eye. When in doubt about contamination, damage, or storage conditions, replace the lens.

If a Lens Falls on the Floor, Sink, or Counter

Do not rinse it with water and reinsert it. A reusable lens must go through the cleaning and disinfecting process specified for that lens and care system. If the correct solution is unavailable, set the lens aside only if you have a clean lens case and can follow its care instructions later. Otherwise, discard it.

If the Lens Has Dried Out

Do not try to soften a dried-out lens with water, saliva, or eye drops. Drying may change the lens surface or shape, and contamination may have occurred while it was exposed. The safest option is to discard it and use a fresh lens.

If You Wear Daily Disposable Contacts

Remove and discard them. Daily lenses do not need cleaning solution because they are not intended for reuse. Keeping a spare pair in your bag can make unexpected removal much easier.

Can Sterile Saline Replace Contact Lens Solution?

Sterile saline may be used for rinsing in certain lens care routines when the product instructions allow it, but it does not disinfect lenses. It should not replace a multipurpose disinfecting solution or a complete peroxide care system.

Always check the instructions for your particular lenses and care product. Different lens materials and care systems are not automatically interchangeable.

How to Clean Reusable Contact Lenses Properly

Once you have the correct solution, follow the product label and the instructions given by your eye care professional. A typical routine for reusable soft lenses includes the following steps:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Dry them completely with a clean, lint-free towel.
3. Place one lens in your clean palm.
4. Apply fresh multipurpose solution.
5. Rub and rinse the lens for the time stated in the product instructions.
6. Place it in the correct side of a clean lens case.
7. Fill the case with fresh solution.
8. Repeat the process for the other lens.
9. Keep the lenses in the solution for the full disinfecting time.

Never top off old solution with fresh solution. Empty the case after use and care for it according to the solution manufacturer’s directions.

If you prefer reusable contacts, browse our selection of monthly contact lenses and follow the replacement and care schedule specified for your chosen model.

How to Avoid Running Out of Solution Again

• Keep an unopened travel-size bottle of your approved solution in your bag.
• Do not pour solution into an unapproved smaller container.
• Check the expiration and discard dates regularly.
• Carry your glasses as a backup.
• Keep a spare pair of lenses when your wearing schedule allows it.
• Order replacements before opening your final pair.

People who travel frequently or do not want to clean and store lenses every night may find daily disposables more convenient. Reusable lenses can still be a suitable option, but they require consistent cleaning, disinfection, storage, and timely replacement.

When Should You Stop Wearing the Lenses?

Remove your lenses and do not reinsert them if you notice persistent redness, pain, unusual sensitivity to light, discharge, worsening discomfort, or a change in vision. Contact an eye care professional for advice, particularly when symptoms continue after removing the lenses.

Do not attempt to solve persistent discomfort by repeatedly rinsing or reinserting the same lens. A torn, scratched, discolored, misshapen, or contaminated lens should be replaced.

Daily vs. Reusable Lenses When You Travel

Your replacement schedule can make a difference during travel:

• Daily disposable lenses: no overnight cleaning or storage; remove and discard after use.
• Two-week or monthly lenses: require the correct cleaning solution, a clean case, and a regular care routine.
• Extended-wear lenses: should only be worn overnight when the particular lens and your eye care professional’s instructions allow it.

Choose the same lens brand, model, power, base curve, diameter, and additional parameters specified for your eyes. Do not switch to a different product solely to avoid using solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Clean Contacts With Eye Drops?

No. Eye drops and contact lens rewetting drops do not replace a product designed to clean and disinfect reusable lenses.

Can I Use Distilled Water for One Night?

No. Distilled water is not a contact lens disinfecting solution and should not be used to rinse, clean, or store contacts.

Can Saline Solution Disinfect Contacts?

No. Sterile saline may be suitable for rinsing in certain care routines, but it does not disinfect lenses.

Should I Throw Away My Contacts If I Have No Solution?

Discard daily disposable lenses after removal. For reusable lenses, discard them if they may be contaminated, damaged, dried out, or cannot be cleaned and stored according to their care instructions.

Can I Sleep in My Contacts Instead of Removing Them?

Do not sleep in lenses simply because you have run out of solution. Overnight wear should only occur when the specific lens is approved for that schedule and you have been instructed to use it that way.

Final Takeaway

If you run out of contact lens solution, do not improvise with water, saliva, eye drops, homemade saline, or household peroxide. Remove the lenses with clean, dry hands, discard daily disposables, and do not reinsert reusable lenses until they have been properly cleaned and disinfected. Replace any lens that is damaged, dried out, or potentially contaminated.