Fill & rinse
Preservative-free saline
Goes in your eye
Sterile and preservative-free only. One vial per fill; throw the rest away.
Disinfect & store
Multipurpose / GP solution
Not for filling the bowl
Use one made for rigid (GP) lenses. Fresh solution every night, never topped off.
Nothing
Water of any kind
Never on lens or case
Tap, bottled, distilled, filtered: none are sterile enough. Not even to rinse the case.
Scleral lenses are rigid gas permeable (GP) lenses, just very large ones. A GP multipurpose solution is the other main way wearers disinfect them, alongside hydrogen peroxide. It works in an ordinary flat case and needs no neutralizing, which makes it handy for short breaks and travel. The one rule people trip over: it never goes in the bowl.
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.
What a GP multipurpose solution does
One bottle does several jobs. Boston Simplus, for example, cleans, disinfects, and conditions rigid gas permeable lenses and removes protein, with a rub and rinse before you wear them.[5] Unique pH also cleans, conditions, and disinfects in one bottle. Menicon’s directions are to store lenses in fresh solution for at least 4 hours before wearing and to discard the bottle within 90 days of opening.[4] Other products have different times, so check your own label.
Unlike peroxide, multipurpose solutions contain preservatives, and some people are allergic or sensitive to them.[1] That’s the main reason they’re rinsed off before the lens goes in.
Every night
- Remove Wash and dry your hands first.
- Rub clean A few drops of daily cleaner, rub both sides in your palm.
- Rinse Rinse the cleaner off with sterile saline (or as your system’s label says).
- Disinfect Into a clean case filled with fresh GP solution. Never top off yesterday’s.
Every morning
- Rinse Rinse the GP solution off with sterile saline before filling.
- Fill Fill the bowl to the brim with a fresh vial of preservative-free saline.
- Insert Face down, steady, no bubbles.
- Empty the case Dump the old solution, rinse with fresh solution, air-dry face down.
Conditioning vs storage
These words cause a lot of confusion.
- Conditioning means the solution leaves a wetting layer on the lens surface so it feels smoother when it goes in. Menicon describes Unique pH as conditioning the lens to improve wettability and comfort on insertion.[4]
- Storage is where the lens sits between wears. In a one-bottle GP system, the overnight soak is the disinfecting, conditioning, and storing step all at once.
- Two-bottle GP systems split the jobs: a separate cleaner, then a conditioning solution the lens is stored in. Wearers sometimes hear “conditioning solution” and think it’s a filler. It isn’t.
Rinse before you fill
The fluid in the bowl sits on your cornea all day. That’s why it needs to be sterile and preservative-free, and why a preserved multipurpose solution shouldn’t be in it. The routine most wearers follow: rub, rinse both sides well with sterile saline, then fill with a fresh vial of preservative-free saline. Some product labels allow rinsing with the solution itself before insertion. With sclerals the bowl is then filled and worn all day, so follow your fitter’s instructions on how to rinse.
If your bottle says you can rinse with the solution itself and insert, that instruction is written with small corneal GP lenses in mind. With a scleral, the bowl still has to be filled with preservative-free saline, so ask your fitter how they want you to rinse.[5]
Thicker solutions take more rinsing. Many wearers say a thicker product needed a lot of saline to get off, and that leftover residue caused stinging or blur. If that’s you, it’s worth asking your fitter about a thinner product.
Soft-lens solutions are a different product
Many multipurpose solutions on the shelf are made for soft contact lenses. Bausch + Lomb, for example, lists its Biotrue multipurpose solution among its soft lens solutions and Boston Simplus among its rigid gas permeable ones.[6] [5] Menicon notes Unique pH applies only to RGP lenses.[4] Use a soft-lens solution on sclerals only if its label says it’s for GP lenses and your fitter agrees. The FDA advises using the products your eye care professional recommends.[2]
Store brands of GP multipurpose solution exist, and some wearers use them without trouble. Compare the label to what your fitter recommended and ask before you switch.
Coated lenses
If your lenses have a Hydra-PEG coating, the coating maker lists which solutions it says won’t damage it. Its list includes Boston Simplus, Unique pH, and Tangible Clean. It says Boston Advance Cleaner, Progent, and alcohol-based or abrasive cleaners damage the coating.[7] [8] Its US list also names Lobob’s Optimum ESC extra-strength cleaner as not compatible.[9]
Tangible Science also says coated lenses must be stored wet in a compatible solution, and that the storage solution should be changed, and the case cleaned, every 30 days.[8]
Other non-peroxide options
Wearers outside the US mention other GP solutions, such as Menicare products and Cleadew products. The coating maker’s international list includes Menicare Plus as a multipurpose solution.
Cleadew is a name that covers several different products. In the US, the FDA cleared one called cleadew GP hydra one, classed as a rigid gas permeable lens care product, in October 2025.[10] It wasn’t on the coating maker’s US compatibility list when we checked.[9] Some wearers outside the US describe an iodine-based Cleadew system that has to be neutralized and can stain. We couldn’t confirm that product’s details from the maker or the FDA for this page, so if it interests you, ask your fitter and follow its label exactly.
What wearers report
Boston Simplus comes up more than any other GP solution. People like that it’s sold in ordinary stores, comes in a small travel size, and works on coated lenses. The common complaint is that it’s thick: some find it hard to rinse off, and a few link it to fogging or irritation.
Unique pH is praised as gentle and easy to rinse, and some long-time wearers have used it for years. A few found it irritating, and some report it fading the orientation dots on their lenses.
Fogging goes both ways. Some wearers found their multipurpose storage solution was behind their fogging and switched to peroxide. Others had less fogging after moving from peroxide to a multipurpose solution. That’s why changing one product at a time, with your fitter, is the way to find the cause.
Discontinued favorites. Long-time wearers miss several gentle cleaners that became hard to find. If a product you rely on disappears, call your fitter rather than improvising.
If this isn’t working for you
| What’s happening | What wearers often ask their fitter about |
|---|---|
| Stinging or burning right after insertion | More rinsing with sterile saline, or a thinner solution |
| Fogging or film during the day | A different storage solution, adding peroxide, or a fit check |
| Red, puffy, or itchy eyes after switching | Preservative sensitivity, and whether peroxide would suit better |
| Orientation dots fading | Re-dotting, or a different solution |
| Coated lens feels less comfortable | Whether the products are on the coating maker’s list |
Do
- Use a solution labeled for rigid gas permeable (GP) lenses.
- Fill the case with fresh solution every time.
- Rinse both sides with sterile saline before filling, unless your fitter says otherwise.
- Fill the bowl with a fresh vial of preservative-free saline and throw the rest away.
- Use a GP solution, not saline, for short breaks.
- Take the lens out if it stings or burns.
Don’t
- Fill the bowl with multipurpose or conditioning solution.
- Top off yesterday's solution or reuse it.
- Store lenses in saline, even for an hour.
- Use tap, bottled, or distilled water on lenses or the case.
- Use a soft-lens solution unless its label covers GP lenses.
- Change your system without talking to your fitter.
Mistakes that come up again and again
- Filling with the multipurpose solution. It happens, sometimes because someone was told to by mistake. Only sterile, preservative-free saline goes in the bowl unless your fitter says otherwise.
- Rinsing with multipurpose solution right before insertion, thinking it’s saline. Check the bottle.
- Storing in saline. Saline is for rinsing only, not for cleaning or disinfecting.[2]
- Topping off. Discard all leftover solution after each use and never reuse it.[3]
- Leaving spare lenses in the same solution for months. Change it on the schedule your fitter or the label gives, and disinfect before wearing.
- Any water at all. Tap and distilled water have been linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a hard-to-treat corneal infection.[3]
- Replacing the case too rarely. Replace it every three months or as your fitter directs.[3]
For case care, see lens cases. For the whole kit, see saline and solutions.
Common questions
Can I fill my scleral lens with Boston Simplus or Unique pH?
No, not unless your fitter specifically tells you to. These are preserved disinfecting solutions. The fluid in the bowl sits against your cornea all day, so the bowl gets fresh, sterile, preservative-free saline.
Do I have to rinse the multipurpose solution off before filling?
Wearers and fitters overwhelmingly say yes: rinse both sides with sterile saline, then fill with a fresh vial of preservative-free saline. Thicker solutions take more rinsing. Follow your fitter's instructions if they differ.
Can I use my old soft contact lens solution on sclerals?
Only if its label says it's for rigid gas permeable lenses. Many multipurpose solutions are made for soft lenses only. Ask your fitter before using any solution not on your care list.
What should I store my lenses in during a short break during the day?
A fresh GP multipurpose or disinfecting solution in a clean flat case, then rinse with sterile saline before you refill and reinsert. Not saline: saline doesn't disinfect. Peroxide usually isn't practical because of its long soak.
Is a GP multipurpose solution safe for Hydra-PEG coated lenses?
Some are. The coating's maker, Tangible Science, lists Boston Simplus, Unique pH, and Tangible Clean as compatible, and says Boston Advance Cleaner, Progent, and alcohol-based or abrasive cleaners damage the coating.
How should I store spare lenses for a long time?
Ask your fitter, because it depends on the lens. For Hydra-PEG coated lenses, Tangible Science says to store them wet in a compatible solution and change the solution and clean the case every 30 days. Disinfect before wearing.
Do I need peroxide as well as a multipurpose solution?
Not always. Many wearers use a GP multipurpose solution alone, some use peroxide alone, and some combine them, for example peroxide once a week. Which mix suits you is your fitter's call.