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Medical Forum / General / Vision / March 2007Contact lens removal/cleaning conditions in backcountry conditions
I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the end of the day with a safe drinking water supply that I can use to wash my hands. I would prefer not to sleep in my lenses (Acuvue 2 or Acuvue Oasys in -6.50 right, -5.25 left). I'm curious as to the opinions on cleaning and disinfecting lenses in backcountry conditions. I suppose untreated stream water wouldn't be suitable for rinsing my hands because of possible parasites. I'll be carrying chlorine dioxide tablets to treat my water for drinking, as well as unscented antibacterial (benzethonium chloride) moist towlettes and alcohol gel hand sanitizer. I'll probably have soap on me. Would either the towlettes/alcohol gel followed by a rinse (with treated water) and air dry be adequate? I think the trickiest part would be using a small mirror in those conditions. Or maybe just wear glasses. ;-) >I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe >three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > I'd ask for a pair of Night and Day trial lenses and leave them in for the duration. You might have a different attitude about sleeping in them, as they are approved for 30 days non stop wear. If you can't do that, put a fresh pair of Oasys lenses in the day you leave and wear them the whole trip. Take them out only if you suspect there is a problem (any irritation, blur, redness or discharge). I think handling the lenses may be riskier than leaving them in. That is most certainly true microbiologically. > >I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe > >three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > the lenses may be riskier than leaving them in. That is most certainly > true microbiologically. I've worn the Night & Day before. My eye doc recommended that I use them for daily wear up to 30 days use, but two months after opening them. After a while, they eventually got itchy for me. Even when they were working well for me, they got a bit itchy at the end of the day, although when I took them out, I didn't feel the mild soreness that I got with other lenses. My right eye is really dry. I find that at the end of the day, the edges of my right lens often won't wet properly again until it gets disinfected/soaked overnight. > I'll probably have soap on > me. Would either the towlettes/alcohol gel followed by a rinse (with > treated water) and air dry be adequate? I think that's fine. You will be carrying your regular solutions/ disinfectants, right? > > I'll probably have soap on > > me. Would either the towlettes/alcohol gel followed by a rinse (with > > treated water) and air dry be adequate? > > I think that's fine. You will be carrying your regular solutions/ > disinfectants, right? I used to carry the travel size bottle of the Purell (or equivalent) alcohol-based hand sanitizer. > > > I'll probably have soap on > > > me. Would either the towlettes/alcohol gel followed by a rinse (with [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I used to carry the travel size bottle of the Purell (or equivalent) > alcohol-based hand sanitizer. I've got that. I suppose the only problem is that the inert ingredients may present a problem if I can't completely wash them off. Some of the ingredients are ones I've seen in CL products, like propylene glycol, glycerin, or isopropyl alcohol (CibaVision MiraFlow Daily Cleaner). In some situations I took out my lenses because of a foreign object or extreme discomfort. I would use ordinary moist towlettes to clean my hands, take them out, and place them in saline or MPS. I'd then do a proper cleaning/disinfecting regimen (including washing/drying of hands) when I got home. > > > > I'll probably have soap on > > > > me. Would either the towlettes/alcohol gel followed by a rinse (with [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > proper cleaning/disinfecting regimen (including washing/drying of > hands) when I got home. One more thought: what about some unit-dose, preservative free, 0.9% saline vials in 5 or 10ml tubes? Small, cheap, light, sterile, etc. They're not quite perfect for eyes, lacking a few electrolytes, buffers, or whatever, but ... check me if I'm wrong, Doctors ... I think you could use them to rinse off your fingers _after_ using Purell and _before_ sticking your fingers in your eyes. Cheap insurance, I'd think. I bought some to fill up my scleral lenses in emergency situations. You simply Google "unit dose saline" and you'll find a few. "Reliable Medical" stopped carrying it, by the way. Good luck! > I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe > three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I think the trickiest part would be using a small mirror in those > conditions. Or maybe just wear glasses. ;-) bring glasses. > > I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe > > three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > bring glasses. Glasses didn't work for me. I wore contacts when camping. > Glasses didn't work for me. I wore contacts when camping.- Hide quoted text - Glasses and contacts both suck for outdoor activities, that's one reason I opted for lasik. On Mar 21, 1:42 pm, "michael toulch" <michaeltou...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe > > three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > bring glasses. Goes without saying. Even on reasonably long dayhikes I'll pack a pair of glasses and take out my contacts if they become uncomfortable. I'm quite careful to always keep everything very clean when dealing with contacts, but is there a degree of paranoia here? People without contacts wouldn't think twice about rinsing their faces in a stream, or even going for a swim in a pond and opening their eyes underwater. Is it really worse to rinse the filth off of my hands in a stream, dry them, and then touch my eye for a fraction of a second while removing or inserting lenses? I wear RGP and have often wondered how I'd deal with it when camping. It hasn't come up yet. My best plan was to use an "all in one" solution and forego the rubbing for a few days, unless I could ensure my hands were fairly clean. Using the plunger for removal would reduce the risk of a lens flying away someplace during removal. insertion would be the most risky part, since the little buggers occasionally slide off the finger. > I've been thinking of going on a camping/backpacking trip of maybe > three days. I typically do dayhikes, where I can find a place at the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I think the trickiest part would be using a small mirror in those > conditions. Or maybe just wear glasses. ;-) -- > I'm quite careful to always keep everything very clean when dealing > with contacts, but is there a degree of paranoia here? People without [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > them, and then touch my eye for a fraction of a second while removing > or inserting lenses? I wouldn't. I worry a bit when I shower or wash my face with municipal tap water. I tried swimming in a chlorinated pool once with lenses on and freaked out. I thought the biggest problem would be acanthamoeba, which I'm sure is everywhere. > I wear RGP and have often wondered how I'd deal with it when camping. > It hasn't come up yet. My best plan was to use an "all in one" [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would be the most risky part, since the little buggers occasionally > slide off the finger. I was thinking maybe that too. I've never worn lenses overnight and the times I've tried insertion with a small mirror, I've had a tough time getting them in. > the times I've tried insertion with a small mirror, I've had a tough > time getting them in. I've always used a small mirror, probably six inches in diameter. I got a makeup mirror, with two sides. One is magnifying. |
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