Are All Contact Lens Solutions The Same? Brand vs Generic? Short answer. No.

Are All Contact Lens Solutions The Same? Brand vs Generic? Short answer. No.

For example, you walk into a store and you see a generic solution next to the brand solution.  Both boxes are designed similarly.  However, the brand name one has more “updated” ingredients vs the generic one has “outdated” ingredients.

Why is this important?

As the materials and technology of contact lenses are being updated and revamped, it requires certain ingredients in the contact lens solutions help maintain the contact lens’ key features.  Generics that contain older ingredients may not help promote the contact lens’ newer technology.  Worse, it may even reverse it and cause unwanted outcomes such as dryness, lens instability, decreased oxygen transmission, etc.  

Your eye doctor may have given you a great contact lens because you reported dryness and discomfort, but you paired that with an older solution. Now you negate the awesome lens that your awesome eye doctor prescribed.  Therefore you’re back to square one with dryness.

Also, the cases that come with the brand name solutions also need to be paired together.  Some of the cases with certain brands have proprietary technologies built INSIDE the walls of the cases.  So when the solution is in contact with the case, its’ forces combined to help clean and hydrate the contact lenses.

Some patients do well with generics.  Some need the brand name ones because of the updated key ingredients.  Some can do both.  If you are noticing your contacts are ripping or becoming drier and you have been wearing the same brand, your new contact lens solution may be the culprit! Or you’re just overwearing the lenses.

Interested in seeing what’s new in the contact lens world? Schedule your next eye exam with us for a contact lens evaluation.

Which solution is right for you? Although many look similar, the ingredients inside are very different.