First: front or behind?
Midday haze has two very different sources:
- On the front of the lens: oil from the lids, mucus, makeup, or a surface that has stopped wetting well. Blinking or a drop clears it, at least for a moment.
- Behind the lens: debris clouding the saline reservoir. Nothing you do from outside helps. The lens has to come out, be rinsed, and refilled. See midday fogging.
This page is about the first kind.
What helps without taking the lens out
1. Blink, and add a drop. A preservative-free lubricating drop over the lens, followed by several full blinks, clears light film for many wearers. Many wearers find a lighter drop works better for this than a thick gel, which can smear. The relief often lasts only a while, but it’s the first thing to try. See eye drops with sclerals for which drops are suitable over a lens.
2. Flush with saline. Some wearers flush the front of the lens with sterile preservative-free saline from a fresh vial, with a tissue held below the eye to catch the run-off.
3. In-lens cleaning drops. Wearers who’ve tried drops sold to clean lenses in the eye generally describe only short-term relief. Check with your fitter that any such product suits your lens and coating.
Wiping the lens in your eye: we don’t recommend it
Many wearers wipe the front of the lens in place with a swab moistened in saline, and some say it clears oil and mucus well. We don’t recommend it. Cotton swabs can leave fine scratches on the lens, lint can end up on the lens or in your eye, and a swab or plunger that slips touches your eye directly. If a drop and a few blinks don’t clear the front of the lens, take the lens out, clean it, rinse it, and refill it.
Habits to avoid
Wearers report these causing pain or damage:
- Lens cleaner or multipurpose solution on a swab in the eye. Wearers who tried it describe burning and blurred vision. Cleaners belong on a lens in your hand, followed by a thorough rinse.
- Alcohol wipes. Never on a lens or anything that touches your eye. Ask your fitter how they want you to clean plungers and cases.
- Scrubbing with a plunger. Wearers report scratches, and a lens that snapped after being scrubbed with a plunger outside the eye. Firm pressure on a lens in the eye is riskier still.
- Tissues, fingers, or tap water. Tissues scratch and shed lint. Fingers carry oils and germs. Tap water must never touch your lenses.[1]
Clearing the front of the lens
Do
- Start with full blinks and a preservative-free drop.
- Use only sterile preservative-free saline on anything that touches your eye.
- Take the lens out to clean it when a drop and blinking aren’t enough.
- Wash and dry your hands first, and use a fresh vial or applicator each time.
- Take the lens out if clearing it in place doesn’t work.
Don’t
- Put lens cleaner, multipurpose solution, or alcohol on anything touching your eye.
- Wipe, press on, or scrub the lens while it’s in your eye.
- Wipe the lens with tissue or your fingers.
- Keep going if it starts to hurt.
When a midday removal is better
Taking the lens out, cleaning, rinsing, refilling, and reinserting is the more thorough fix. It’s the better choice when:
- the haze is behind the lens, or you can’t tell;
- you’ve already cleared the front and it smeared again within minutes;
- the lens feels scratchy, or you think something is under it;
- you’ve had a bubble, or the lens has shifted.
Many wearers build a planned midday removal into their day. If makeup is the worry, applying it after inserting your lenses and keeping it away from the lid margin helps. See makeup and skin care.
Treat the cause
Needing to clear the lens often is a sign something upstream needs attention. Wearers most often traced front-surface film to lid oil and blepharitis, allergy, residue from night ointment or creams, hand products, or a coating that had worn off. Morning lid cleaning, allergy treatment, and a refreshed or renewed lens surface are the usual fixes. See blepharitis and MGD, film and deposits, and mucus in the lens.
What to ask your fitter
- Is my haze on the front of the lens or behind it?
- How can I make a midday removal and refill quicker and easier?
- Which drops can I use over my lens and coating?
- Is my lens coating worn, or does my lens need replacing?
- What can we do about the cause?
Common questions
How do I know if the haze is on the front or behind the lens?
If blinking or a drop clears it, even briefly, it's probably on the front. If nothing you do from outside changes it, it's probably in the saline behind the lens, and the lens needs to come out, be rinsed, and be refilled with fresh saline.
Can I use my removal plunger to wipe the lens in my eye?
We don't recommend it. A plunger is firm, and pressing on the lens or slipping onto the eye can scratch the lens or injure your eye. If the front of the lens needs more than a drop and a blink, take it out.
What about wiping it with a cotton swab and saline?
We don't recommend that either, although many wearers do it. Swabs can scratch the lens and leave lint, and a swab that slips touches your eye directly. Taking the lens out for a clean and refill is the safer fix.
Can I wipe the front of the lens with a tissue?
No. Wearers report tissues and paper can scratch lenses and leave lint. Dab tears from your skin, not the lens.
Can I fix a bubble without taking the lens out?
No. A bubble under the lens needs the lens out, refilled, and reinserted. If bubbles keep happening, tell your fitter: recurring bubbles can point to the fit.