SMART VISION · BONDI BEACH & MOSMAN
Care of Ortho-K Lenses
At a Glance
Follow the care plan for your own Ortho-K lenses and products. Keep routine lens care free of water, allow peroxide to neutralise fully, and seek prompt help for pain, redness or unexpected blurred vision. This guide supports your clinician’s training and the current product label.
Caring for Your Ortho-K Lenses
Wash your hands with soap and water, rinse well and dry them thoroughly with a clean lint-free towel before handling lenses. Work on a clean surface and follow the handling technique demonstrated by your optometrist.
For routine care, keep lenses and their case away from tap water. Use only the care products approved for your lenses. Emergency eye rinsing after a chemical splash is different; see the peroxide section below.
Preparing for Your Lens Delivery
Ask the team to demonstrate insertion, removal and your prescribed cleaning routine before starting lens wear. Confirm which lens belongs to each eye, the correct case and solutions, and your first follow-up appointment.
The existing video below supports your discussion with the team. It does not replace hands-on training or the current instructions for your own lenses and care products.
Watch the Ortho-K lens insertion practice video on its dedicated viewing page.
Inserting Your Ortho-K Lenses
Use a consistent right/left routine and the markings explained at your fitting; lens colours can vary. Handle lenses over a clean, uncluttered surface away from an open drain. Check each lens for damage before insertion.
Review insertion with your optometrist if you are uncertain. Use the video as a reminder of training, rather than a reason to improvise a technique.
Watch how to insert ortho-k lenses on its dedicated viewing page.
Care for the case according to its manufacturer’s directions. Peroxide systems require their supplied neutralising case; an ordinary storage case is not a substitute.
A Displaced or Difficult-to-Remove Lens
If a lens feels displaced or will not move normally, stop and contact the practice for advice. Do not force it into position or repeatedly attempt removal.
Only use the removal technique and any lubricating drops recommended for your lenses. If you cannot remove the lens safely, seek prompt professional help.
Removing Your Ortho-K Lenses
Remove lenses on the schedule prescribed by your optometrist. A stuck lens, pain or increasing redness needs advice; do not press firmly on the eye to release a lens.
Do not put soap or hot water into your eyes. Keep routine lens handling separate from face washing and showering.
Your Taught Removal Technique
The removal video is a supporting reminder. Ask the team to check your technique if removal is difficult or uncomfortable.
Watch the Ortho-K lens removal video on its dedicated viewing page.
Using a Removal Tool
Use a removal tool only if your clinician has demonstrated the correct technique for your lens. Keep it clean as instructed, and ask for help rather than applying force.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Cleaning and disinfection reduce contamination but cannot make lens wear risk-free. Use the exact system recommended for your lens material and follow its label. Products and timings are not interchangeable. The CDC guide to lens-care systems explains the distinction between cleaning, disinfection and saline.
Hydrogen Peroxide Systems: AOSEPT
If AOSEPT PLUS with HydraGlyde is prescribed for your lenses, use the special case supplied with the product and allow at least six hours for neutralisation. Alcon’s Australian instructions explain the full process. Neutralised solution is saline, not plain sterile water.
Never place unneutralised peroxide directly in the eye or use it to rinse a lens immediately before insertion. Follow the fill level, case-replacement and other directions on your current pack. Read the FDA peroxide-safety guidance if you need background.
If cleaning chemical gets in the eye: begin rinsing immediately with cool running water for at least 15 minutes and call the Australian Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26. Follow its advice and obtain urgent eye care for pain or affected vision. This emergency first aid is different from routine lens cleaning. See NSW Poisons first aid.
Multipurpose Rigid-Lens Solutions
If your clinician prescribes MeniCare Plus or another rigid-lens solution, follow that product’s current rubbing, rinsing and soaking instructions. Do not apply the timing for one brand or formulation to another.
Use fresh solution each time; do not top up used solution. Saline alone does not disinfect lenses. If your usual product is unavailable, contact the practice before substituting another system.
Protein Removal: Progent
Use Progent only if it has been recommended for your lenses. Menicon specifies its dedicated Progent vial and a maximum soak of 30 minutes. Do not extend the soak to 60 minutes or use an old ordinary storage case. Follow the current pack directions and your clinician’s advice about frequency.
After treatment, rinse the lenses thoroughly using the compatible solution specified by the manufacturer before wear or storage. Read the Menicon Progent instructions.
Do not invent a sequence that mixes different cleaning systems. Ask the practice to clarify the complete routine if you use more than one product.
Starting Overnight Lens Wear
Follow the wearing plan provided at your fitting. Do not continue wearing a lens through pain, redness or unusual discomfort.
The change in unaided vision and time to stabilise vary. If a lens is difficult to remove or vision is unexpectedly blurred, contact the practice. Use suitable backup glasses as advised and do not drive unless your vision meets the required standard.
Follow-up Appointments
Attend the follow-up appointments arranged by your optometrist, including the early review after starting overnight wear. Bring your lenses, case and care products when requested so the team can check fit, eye health and your routine.
Preventing Lens Damage
Rigid lenses can chip or break. Handle them gently and use the technique demonstrated for your lens design.
If a lens drops, locate it before moving around. Inspect it for damage and ask the practice what cleaning or replacement is needed before reusing it.
A clean towel on a flat work surface can help you locate a dropped lens. Keep lens handling away from open drains.
Handling Precautions
- Avoid squeezing, bending or pressing a lens against a hard surface.
- Use a removal tool only as demonstrated, and ask for help if the lens will not release.
- Check for chips or cracks before wear; do not insert a damaged lens.
Do not wear a chipped or cracked lens. If a lens breaks in the eye or you think a fragment remains, obtain urgent professional help and do not attempt to pick fragments from the eye.
If a Lens Is Lost or Damaged
Contact the practice about a replacement. Costs, warranty cover and replacement timing depend on the lens supplied and the applicable terms; ask the team to confirm your options.
Keep suitable backup glasses available and ask for advice about vision correction while waiting. Do not use a damaged lens.
Daily Reminders
- Follow your own written wear and care plan, and ask before changing products.
- Use fresh recommended solution. Keep lenses and cases away from water during routine care.
- Follow the case-replacement schedule for your care system; peroxide cases must be the correct neutralising type.
- If you miss a night, ask your optometrist about your vision-correction plan. Do not switch to daytime lens wear without advice.
- Remove lenses and seek urgent advice for pain, redness, light sensitivity or sudden blurred vision. Do not resume wear until advised.
- Keep follow-up appointments and follow the replacement schedule set for your lenses.
- Keep current backup glasses and contact details available.
Contact the Practice
For lens-care questions, call Bondi: 02 9365 5047 or Mosman: 02 9969 1600. For pain, redness, light sensitivity or sudden blurred vision, seek urgent eye care rather than waiting for an online booking. See the CDC contact-lens warning signs.
Further Ortho-K Information
Read what to expect from Ortho-K, our Ortho-K service overview and the SVO article Ortho-K lens care and follow-up. For routine appointments, book online.
Ortho-K Lens-Care Questions
Can I clean Ortho-K lenses with tap water?
No. Keep lenses and their case away from water during routine care, and use the products recommended for your lenses. Emergency rinsing of an eye after chemical exposure is different and should not be delayed.
How long does AOSEPT need to neutralise?
Alcon specifies at least six hours in the supplied special case for AOSEPT PLUS with HydraGlyde. Do not rinse lenses with unneutralised peroxide immediately before insertion. Follow the current product instructions.
Can I leave lenses in Progent for an hour?
No. Menicon specifies a maximum Progent soak of 30 minutes. Use the dedicated vial and follow the current pack instructions and your clinician’s advice about suitability and frequency.
What if my eye is painful or red while wearing a lens?
Remove the lens if you can do so safely and seek urgent eye-care advice. Do not force removal or resume wear until advised. Light sensitivity, discharge or sudden blurred vision also need prompt assessment.
Care built around your individual needs
Discuss your needs with our Smart Vision behavioural optometrists. Your detailed assessment guides a personalised wellness treatment programme where appropriate.
Bondi Beach · Mosman