With use, contact lenses come into contact with various substances that make up the tear film, including proteins (lysozyme, albumins, mucopolysulfides, fibronectin, etc.). Over time, these adhere to the surface of the lens and can denature, reducing the degree of humidity and hydrophilicity. This makes these devices less comfortable than they should be, as well as causing atopic reactions, such as papillary conjunctivitis and eye redness . Furthermore, the proteins adhered to the lenses create small spots that make the vision blurred .
To remove protein deposits from the lenses, therefore, it is essential to clean with detergents and proteolytic enzyme products, to be performed regularly. These solutions are able to break the bonds between protein molecules (not yet denatured) that can thus be rinsed off the lens.
An alternative is to use disposable contact lenses : these, in fact, are changed and thrown away once used, before a consistent accumulation of protein material can be formed.
