How to Get Calcium Deposits Off Contact Lenses

Written by Brian Richards

27 July, 2017

Fact Checked

People who suffer calcium deposits in their contact lenses are typically advised to wear daily disposable lenses 2 3. However, many people either cannot wear these types of lenses or would prefer not to. Daily wear lens users who reuse lenses should act immediately to remove any calcium deposits on their lenses 2 3. If the calcium is permitted to remain on the lens for too long, it will become too difficult to remove. Proactive treatment and the assistance of your optometrist are the best ways to treat calcium deposits on your contact lenses and maintain healthy eyes 2 3.

Remove your contact lenses immediately when you feel a scratching or irritation on your eyes. These are potential signs of calcium deposits.

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Examine your contact lenses closely, looking for tiny, uneven spots on the surface of the lens 3. If these spots do not appear to move even when disturbed, they might be calcium deposits.

Make a small bath of pure white vinegar. Do not use your normal lens cleaning kit, as the vinegar might sting your eyes if you do not clean it out thoroughly. A small bottle cap or lid may be used, but any container that can hold your lens and a small amount of vinegar will work. Special enzyme tablets for dissolving calcium can also be used in place of vinegar.

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Soak your lenses in the white vinegar or enzyme solution for 20 to 40 minutes.

Examine your lenses for any remaining calcium deposits 2. If there are still uneven spots, repeat steps 3 and 4. If spots remain after a repetition, the calcium is either too abundant and solid to remove, or the spots are something other than calcium.

Clean your lenses as normal with your saline solution, making sure to get rid of any lingering vinegar or enzymes. Soaking your lenses overnight in your cleaning solution is best.

Ask your optometrist for advice if calcium deposits persist or keep recurring. He can recommend other types of lenses or different cleaning methods—such as heat cleaning—to avoid the problem.

Tips

If calcium deposits on your daily wear lenses are becoming troublesome, consider switching to disposable lenses.

Tears are naturally high in protein and will dirty your lenses after each use, so it is often much easier to use a solution that is formulated to remove excess protein from lenses before it calcifies. Look for a cleaning solution that advertises its ability to remove protein deposits.