GP insights
A Promising Deep-Cleaning Treatment for GP Lenses
BY MARJORIE J. RAH, OD, PHD, FAAO

I am a Paragon CRT (Paragon Vision Sciences, Inc.) lens wearer. I'm also a noncompliant patient when it comes to cleaning my lenses properly. No, this isn't exactly "true confessions" time -- but the result of these two personal characteristics brought me to the topic of this column.

Figure 1. Dirty Paragon CRT lenses resulting from noncompliance with lens care.

Paying for Noncompliance

Not long ago, I was suffering from discomfort with my Paragon CRT contact lenses. At my annual exam, my practitioner told me that my discomfort resulted from "dirty lenses" (Figure 1). Even after I cleaned them thoroughly, the deposits were still evident and the contact lenses remained uncomfortable.

So I broke down and replaced the lenses. Not long after that, I washed one of my new contact lenses down the drain and I was forced to wear an old, dirty lens once again.

From Problem to Opportunity

This unfortunate circumstance gave me the perfect opportunity to try a relatively new GP lens care product: Menicon's Progent Protein Remover for Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses.

This GP lens care system consists of two solutions: Progent A, which contains sodium hypochlorite, and Progent B, which contains potassium bromide. You use it by mixing the two solutions together and then soaking the contact lenses for 30 minutes.

It's important that you use caution when using this lens cleaning system. Sodium hypochlorite is also known as household bleach. It goes without saying, therefore, that this solution must not get into a patient's eye. You must thoroughly rinse the lenses and clean them with standard GP lens cleaners after removing them from the Progent solution.

Menicon recommends that you use its Progent treatment to clean your contact lenses monthly; however, the solution is currently approved only for in-office use in the United States. In other countries, patients can purchase the product and use it at home, making monthly cleaning more feasible.

	Figure 2. Paragon CRT lenses after cleaning with new GP lens care product.

New Products Show Promise

After using this protein remover, my lens has become clean and comfortable again. (Figure 2)

Progent is just one of the fantastic new care products available for GP contact lenses.

We're fortunate to now have so many great products on the market. Gone are the days of dissolving enzymatic tablets in saline solution.

Lens care products such as such as Progent and liquid enzymatic cleaners have become the staples in many contact lens practices.

Dr. Rah is an assistant professor at the New England College of Optometry where she works primarily in the Cornea and Contact Lens Service in patient care, teaching and research.