Best practice contact lens care : a review of the Asia Pacific Contact Lens Care Summit

Contact lens hygiene has long been recognised as key to the prevention of contact-lens associated infection and inflammation. Microbial keratitis (MK) is the only serious and potentially sight-threatening contact lens adverse event. International studies including recent research in Asia Pacific show that MK is rare but, as the consequences can be severe, it is important to minimise the risk factors. Studies continue to show that one of the key risk factors is lens and lens case hygiene. Therefore, it is also useful to review the behaviour of our patients, to see how closely they follow the recommended hygiene practices. Recent studies in various regions have shown that patients’ lens care habits do not meet a required standard. Patients can become complacent and thus non-compliant with lens care instructions. Furthermore, they do not understand the high risk of some behaviour and they are not hearing the practitioner when instructions and reminders are given. Further education is important to improve patient compliance and safety. The Asia Pacific Contact Lens Care Summit held in Singapore urged the industry and practitioners to restore the emphasis of proper lens care, including the ‘rub and rinse’ technique, and developed a new set of guidelines to help eye-care professionals educate their patients on the importance of proper contact lens care to avoid eye infections. The summit also presented the latest research on how to avoid corneal staining, another important element of contact lens care. This review provides a summary of the summit presentations and the science behind these guidelines.