Fill & rinse
Preservative-free saline
Goes in your eye
Sterile and preservative-free only. One vial per fill; throw the rest away.
Disinfect & store
Hydrogen peroxide system
Only after full neutralizing
Only in the case that came with the bottle. Wait the full time. Never fill the bowl with it or rinse with it before insertion.
Disinfect & store
Multipurpose / GP solution
Not for filling the bowl
Use one made for rigid (GP) lenses. Fresh solution every night, never topped off.
Hydrogen peroxide is the system many scleral wearers use every night. It’s popular because it cleans and disinfects well and, once neutralized, leaves nothing behind but a mild saline. It’s also the product behind the most painful mistakes people describe. The rules are simple, but they’re not optional.
Brands on this page are named as examples of what wearers use, not as endorsements. Your fitter’s instructions and your product’s label come first.
How neutralizing works
Peroxide and multipurpose solutions both clean and disinfect, and peroxide solutions are generally preservative-free, which may suit people who react to the preservatives in multipurpose solutions.[1] The catch is that peroxide straight from the bottle causes stinging, burning, irritation, or eye damage. It must be neutralized first.[1]
There are two ways to do that:[1]
- One-step systems neutralize while they disinfect, using a disc built into the case. Clear Care and Clear Care Plus work this way, and so do store-brand one-step systems.
- Two-step systems disinfect first, then you add a neutralizing tablet. Wearers, especially outside the US, mention tablet systems sold under several names.
Either way, the neutralizer turns peroxide into water and oxygen.[1] The bubbling you see is that reaction happening.
Using Clear Care as the example, here’s the cycle. Alcon’s directions are at least 6 hours, or overnight.[4]
- 1 · Fill to the line Lenses in the baskets, peroxide to the fill line, cap screwed on. Only in the case with the neutralizing disc.
- 2 · Bubbling = still working The disc turns peroxide into water and oxygen. While it’s fizzing, the solution would burn your eye.
- 3 · Safe after at least 6 hours Then rinse with saline if your fitter says to, fill with fresh saline, and insert.
Never rinse a lens with un-neutralized peroxide before insertion, never fill the bowl with it, never cut the soak short, and use the new case that comes with every new bottle. The red cap on most peroxide bottles is the warning.
Other products have their own times, so read the label on yours. The directions for Clear Care Plus also say to fill to the line without underfilling or overfilling, to tighten the cap finger-tight, and to keep the case upright.[5]
The case: a new one with every bottle
The case isn’t just a container. Its disc is the neutralizer, and Alcon says there is no substitute for it.[4] The FDA’s advice is plain: use the case that comes with every new bottle, because an old case may not neutralize the peroxide.[1]
Wearers often ask how to tell whether a disc is still working, and some judge it by whether it still fizzes. That isn’t a reliable test. Replace the case with every bottle, as the label says.
Large lenses. Many wearers find the standard basket a tight fit for scleral lenses, and some have had lenses crack or chip when the basket was snapped shut. A few common workarounds carry their own risks: leaving the lid loose, or breaking the disc off and dropping it into a different container. Larger peroxide cases made for sclerals exist, and wearers buy them from specialty suppliers or their fitter. Whatever you use, it has to neutralize the peroxide fully. Ask your fitter which case suits your lens size.
Leaking and foaming. Wearers find peroxide cases leak if they tip over, which is one reason the directions say to keep the case upright.[5] Wearers also report cases foaming over or emptying overnight, and most often trace it to cleaner or multipurpose solution left on the lens. Rinse the cleaner off with sterile saline before the lens goes in the peroxide case. If a case leaks or pops open even when you do everything right, report it to the maker and to the FDA’s MedWatch program.[1] A case that’s nearly empty in the morning means the lenses weren’t properly disinfected: run a fresh cycle.
Why plain drugstore peroxide isn’t a swap
This comes up again and again, usually to save money or when traveling. Lens peroxide systems are made and tested together with their case. Clear Care Plus, for example, lists a cleaning agent and a buffer among its ingredients, not just peroxide.[5] A first-aid bottle isn’t sold as a contact lens product, so it carries no lens directions or soak time. Using it with a lens case is off-label, and so is diluting a stronger peroxide.
The FDA says not to change your lens-care system before talking to an eye care professional.[1] If cost is the problem, tell your fitter. Store-brand lens peroxide systems are one option to ask about.
Stinging after the soak
A lens that burns or stings on insertion should come out. Rinse it, and don’t put it back in until you know why. Things wearers most often find:
- The soak was cut short, or the case wasn’t the new one from the bottle.
- The case was filled above or below the line.
- Cleaner or soap residue went into the case, or onto your fingers.
- Sensitivity to one version of a product. Some wearers sting with a version that has an added wetting agent and do fine with the plain one, or the reverse.
Alcon says you may rinse lenses with sterile saline before insertion if you want to or your eye care professional recommends it.[5] If stinging continues after the lens is out, call your fitter.
If peroxide from the bottle gets in your eye, Alcon’s advice is to remove your lenses right away and wash your eye with large amounts of water or sterile saline for a few minutes (this is the one time water is the right call: getting the peroxide out fast matters most), then call your eye care professional if burning continues.[4]
Hydra-PEG and other coatings
Many scleral lenses carry a Hydra-PEG coating. Its maker, Tangible Science, lists Clear Care Triple Action Formula (marked “preferred”) and Clear Care Plus with HydraGlyde as compatible.[6] Its US list also includes a two-step tablet system and says generic peroxide systems may be used.[7]
Wearers’ views of the two Clear Care versions differ. Some feel the HydraGlyde version leaves a film or makes lenses foggy, and moved to the plain one. Others find the reverse. Some also report lenses feeling brittle, but nothing published that we found supports that. If your lens has a different coating, or none, ask your fitter which products the lens maker approves.
What wearers report
What people like. Lenses that look and feel clean, less fogging for some, a simple nightly habit, and no preservatives. Several wearers say switching to nightly peroxide was what finally cleared up film or fogging.
What people complain about. Baskets too small for big lenses. Cases that leak, foam, or don’t seal, including complaints about a newer case design. The long soak, which makes short breaks awkward. Peroxide being questioned at airport security. And stinging, which almost always traces back to one of the causes above.
A note on PeroxiClear. Bausch + Lomb’s one-step peroxide system was recalled in the US and Canada in 2016 because some product had excess residual peroxide.[8] If you come across it, check with your fitter before using it.
If this isn’t working for you
| What’s happening | What wearers often ask their fitter about |
|---|---|
| Stinging or burning on insertion | Checking the case and soak, rinsing with sterile saline first, or a different peroxide product |
| Film or fogging despite nightly peroxide | Adding a rub with a daily cleaner first, a different version of the product, or a fit check |
| Lens won’t fit the basket | A larger scleral peroxide case that still neutralizes |
| Need the lenses back in a few hours | A multipurpose GP solution for short breaks |
| Travel is a hassle | A travel size of the same product, or a GP multipurpose solution for the trip |
For short breaks and travel, see multipurpose and GP solutions.
Do
- Use the new case that comes with every new bottle.
- Rinse cleaner off with sterile saline before the lens goes in the peroxide case.
- Fill exactly to the line, tighten the cap, and keep the case upright.
- Wait the full soak time on the label.
- Fill the lens with a fresh vial of preservative-free saline and throw the rest away.
- Take the lens out if it stings or burns.
Don’t
- Rinse, wet, or fill a lens with peroxide before it is neutralized.
- Put peroxide in a flat case or any case without its neutralizer.
- Cut the soak short, even after a "really good rinse".
- Swap in first-aid peroxide or dilute a stronger one.
- Top off old solution, or use water of any kind.
- Change your system without talking to your fitter.
Mistakes that come up again and again
These are common and very human, especially at night when you’re tired.
- Grabbing the wrong bottle. The red cap on most peroxide bottles is the warning.[1] Keep it well away from your saline.
- Wearing lenses before the cycle finishes. People hear that a thorough rinse is enough in an emergency. It isn’t. Keep glasses or a backup pair for those days.
- Forgetting the disc. Lenses left in peroxide without the neutralizing case still need a full, proper cycle before wear.
- Keeping a case “until it stops fizzing”. Replace it with every bottle.
- Topping off. Discard all leftover solution after each use and never reuse it.[3]
- Storing lenses in saline because peroxide takes too long. Saline doesn’t disinfect.[3] Use a disinfecting solution your fitter approves.
Peroxide cases also need the same basic care as any case. See lens cases and cleaning and disinfecting.
Common questions
Can I use plain hydrogen peroxide from the pharmacy with my Clear Care case?
It's a common money-saving question, and the answer is to ask your fitter rather than try it. First-aid peroxide isn't sold as a contact lens product, so it has no lens directions or soak time on its label, and pairing it with a lens case is off-label. Lens peroxide systems are made and tested to work with their own case.
I forgot to put the case with the disc in, or it's only been a few hours. Can I rinse the lenses well and wear them?
No. Rinsing doesn't replace neutralizing, and the FDA says the neutralizing process must finish before lenses go on your eyes. Wear glasses or a backup pair, and run a fresh, full cycle in the right case.
Is Clear Care safe for Hydra-PEG coated lenses?
The coating's maker, Tangible Science, lists Clear Care (Triple Action, which it marks as preferred) and Clear Care Plus with HydraGlyde as compatible, and says generic peroxide systems may be used. If your lenses have a different coating, ask your fitter or the lens maker.
My scleral lenses don't fit in the Clear Care basket. What do I do?
Tell your fitter. Many wearers find large lenses are a tight squeeze, and some lenses have cracked when the basket was snapped shut. Larger peroxide cases made for sclerals exist, but whatever you use still has to neutralize the peroxide. Don't leave the lid loose to make room.
Why does my peroxide case foam over or leak overnight?
The most common cause wearers find is leftover cleaner or multipurpose solution on the lens, which makes the peroxide foam hard. Rinse the cleaner off with sterile saline first, fill exactly to the line, and keep the case upright. If a case still misbehaves, report it to the maker and to the FDA's MedWatch program.
My eyes sting even after a full overnight soak. Why?
Common culprits are a case past its life, a case filled above or below the line, or cleaner residue. Some wearers also react to one version of a product and not another. Take the lens out, and call your fitter if the stinging doesn't settle once it's out.
How long can my lenses sit in a peroxide case?
Alcon says lenses can stay in an unopened Clear Care case for up to 7 days. After that, throw out the solution and disinfect again before wearing. For longer storage, ask your fitter what to use.