I have had many people ask questions and make comments about contact lens solutions based on my on-line article "All About Contact Lens Care Products" http://www.1800myeyedoc.com/organizations/view.nhtml?profile=organizations&UID=86 .
Generally I have answered these by personal e-mail, but would like to offer a public discourse here, because many of the the questions and comments are similar.
I wanted to let you know how helpful I found your article on contactlens cleaning/disinfection options. I am from New York so it's not possible for me to come to your office. I have very sensitive eyes and loved the quick care cleaning/sterilizing kit. I always tended to get a lot of deposits on my lenses and always found miraflow to work extremely well. Now that I've switched from sureview to silicon hydrogel purevision lenses I've been diagnosed with a mild case of blepharitis. Now that I've been throwing out the lenses after two weeks instead of four and using the miraflow to clean the lenses and rinsing them with lens plus saline, before placing them into the clear care solution and using warm compresses on my eye lids in the morning and rinsing my lashes with baby shampoo and water afterwards ,I seem to be okay.
Here is my problem. 1. The company that makes softwear saline has still not started production of it yet at least that is what the company told me last week.
2. Suddenly the lens plus saline is not available as AMO sold it to Exaeris.
3. Miraflow is not available although I still have some left from my old quick care kits.
How can all of these companies just stop production without any warning to the consumer? These are medical items. I just got over the frustrating experience of trying to find clear care and aosept!!
Any idea when lens plus and softwear saline and miraflow will be available in stores?
I've worn contacts for many years and have never experienced the problems that seem to be going on with the companies that are currently producting these product.
Perhaps you and many other optometrists could convince a manufacturer to promote and produce the quick care cleaner/ disinfecting solution!
Sincerely,
Shari
6/19/07
Dear Dr. Elman:
I read your web page about the elimination of contactlens cleaning solutions from the market. I used to use Quickcare and was very happy with it. I still canât figure out why it was discontinued. I used Pliagel when Quickcare was discontinued, and now you canât get Pliagel any more. I donât know how to make the lens care companies understand that consumers need these products. I hope you and other optometrists can get them to listen. Do we need to start a petition?
Anyway, if you know anyplace to get Pliagel these days, or can recommend a substitute, please let me know.
Thanks.
- Stan
Winchester, VA
Dear Stan,
I have talked to represensatives at CIBA who tell me that the reason they stopped making Quickcare was that it was not selling enough to keep in their product line. I have told multiple people at the company that if they made it, advertised it, and distributed it, it would sell. Of course they are not going to sell it if people can't get it. Ciba does no longer makes Pliagel either. The only dedicated cleaner they make is Miraflow, but they not longer distribute Miraflow to most retail outlets. It is available from eye care professionals who special order it, and certain drugstores,including drugstore.com and CVS.com.
Your e-mail prompted me again to go to the CIBA Vision site (CIBAvision.com) and post the following message:
I have a website 1800MyEyeDoc.com on which I posted an article "All About ContactLensSolutions" in which I discuss, among other things, my frustration with companies like Ciba, for discontinuing products that patients successfully use, particularly Quickcare. People who were using Quickcare were people who were unsuccessful with multipurpose solutions. They either have allergies and/or need a powerful cleaner. I get hits on my site and e-mails from people across the country, from people looking for a product similar to Quiccare and truthfully there is none. The closest thing to Starting Solution is Miraflow, and you've made that hard to get. Obviously for Finishing Solution people can use Softwear Saline, but that isn't always easy to find either. Generally Clear Care has worked, but there is nothing currently on the market that worked as well a Quickcare.
Everyone who has tried Ciba Clearcare tells me it works very well for them. It combines a cleaner with hydrogen peroxide, so you have to use their case to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide. I resisted ClearCare for a long time because I liked the separate cleaner, just in case someone was allergic to the cleaner which is still in the lens case after neutralization. Ciba is a strange company. At times you cannot get certain of their products, including certain powers of their contact lenses. One thing for sure, they are not bringing back Quickcare unless there is a really big consumer demand and I don't know how to create that--for sure they don't listen to me! Thanks for reading my stuff.
Dr E
7/25/2007
Dear Dr. Elman:
Though I'm not a patient of yours, I'd like to chime in with my two cents worth regarding the article on your website "All About ContactLens Care Products."
You state that "Dereliction of responsibility by all contactlens solution manufacturers forces contactlens fitters and wearers to create their own systems." I couldn't agree more!!!
I have the condition called axial myopia (roughly 20 diopters myopia in each eye) and have worn soft contact lenses for the past 30 years. I tried a number of cleaning and disinfecting methods along the way before ultimately finding that the AOSEPT system worked best for me. I've used the AOSEPT system for maybe ten years now. I wanted something that cleaned and disinfected without undesirable side effects and stuck with it once I'd found it.
The trouble, as you point out, is that the various components in any cleaning and disinfecting system can be discontinued by the manufacturer. For example, many years ago I was able to make my own saline solution very inexpensively merely by dropping a salt tablet in a squeeze bottle of distilled water. But the salt tablets I depended on were ultimately yanked off the shelves, allegedly because of "safety" concerns. So now I use store-bought saline solution (usually the CVS brand).
More recently, the big problem for me has been the increasing scarcity of dedicated soft contactlens cleaners. They've been dropping like flies, haven't they? I used the Miraflow Extra-Strength cleaner for quite a few years in conjunction with AOSEPT and was very satisfied with it. When the Miraflow cleaner was discontinued last year, I switched to Pliagel cleaning solution as the next best alternative.
Guess what? Yesterday I was advised by Alcon that Pliagel also has been discontinued. So now I have to scramble to find another substitute. It's very frustrating.
Two questions for your consideration regarding your article in general and my present search for a substitute cleaner in particular:
(1) Of the few remaining dedicated soft contactlens cleaners available (B&L Sensitive Eyes Daily Cleaner, Opti-Free Daily Cleaner, Opti-Clean II Daily Cleaner), do you have any particular preference or all they all about as effective? I note that Opti-Free Daily Cleaner and Opti-Clean II Daily Cleaner (both Alcon products) have the exact same ingredients listed on their packages -- does one have a higher concentration of said ingredients than the other or are they the same animal?
(2) Do you foresee a day when ALL dedicated soft contactlens cleaners will have been discontinued and we have to make do with multipurpose "no rub" solutions only? (If so, this will make soft contact lenses a much less desirable option for me. I still remember the attack of giant papillary conjunctivitis I had long ago when I was still adapting to soft contact lenses and learning by trial and error.)
Thank you for taking the time to read my epistle. I thought you should know that other people have been reading yours!
John
Los Angeles, CA
12/18/2007
I read your interesting article on contact lenses cleaning solutions. I am a GP wearer and have been using the Boston Simplus for 5 monhts without any problems. Should I be worried about that? Has that ever caused any eye infections like the soft lens ReNu product did? Thank you Jack
Jack,
There has been no problem thatI know of with Boston Simplicity.
Dr E
May 31 2008
Hi-
I have just finished reading a very informative article on the web written by your physician regarding the difficulty in locating a replacement soft lens care system for Quick Care. HELP! I have been wearing soft lenses for over 20 years with no problems. I have had great success using both the Quick Care System as well as Opti-Free disinfecting solution combined with Opti-free daily cleaner. NOW, both the Quick Care and the Opti-Free Disinfecting solution have been discontinued and I can not find a solution which does not irritate my eyes. I am MISERABLE and sooo frustrated, and would love any advice you could give me. I guess I am allergic to some of the preservatives in the "no Rub" solutions so I am really frustrated trying to find a disinfecting solution/cleaning process which allows me to wear my lenses all day comfortably, as I have done in the past. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much,
Cary
Cary,
Optifree Express and Optifree Replenish are still made, but probably the best cleaning and disinfecting systems for contact lenses are the hydrogen peroxide systems--Ciba ClearCare or AMO Oxysept, as I have explained on my website. Both systems must be used with their own lens holder and each uses a different method of neutralyzing hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water when used as directed. None of the peroxide systems have preservatives.
Dr Elman
July 13 2008
Found your excellent article via Google. You may already know this but Eaxeris just went out of business, so (green can) âLens Plus Sterile saline 12 oz spray bottleâ (without preservatives) is no longer available. Iâm also told Blairex in 12 oz aerosol can was a possible substitute but it is not available now either. Other suggestions? Unisol in 4 oz bottles always causes adverse eye reaction after a few days. Thanks much.
Jon
Jon,
Thanks for the feedback--hadn't heard about Exaeris going out of business, but I never knew them when they were in business. Ciba used to make some of the best contact lems care products--now they are into making more Daily disposable lenses and don't expect lenses to last more than a day. If there are no aerosol salines available then Unisol or generic Unisol 4 (storebrand products like CVS 4) are the only alternatives, remembering that once opened these non-preserved. containers spoil--think of them like milk and refrigerate after opening. That being said most people do well with just the peroxide systems (Clearcare or Ozysept) without rinsing and if rinsing is needed and all availble multipurpose solutions bother then use the Unisol-type solution, tossing out opened cotainers over a week old,
September 13 2008
Dr E
I thoroughly appreciated your information on contactlens solution. I am still finding AOSEPT in stores (after a brief total absence) but the last retailer to carry Lens Plus (Target) has dropped it. I don't know where to look and can barely wear contacts without this product. I will also look for Ciba Softwear Saline, thanks to your suggestions. If you know where to find Lens Plus I would be very appreciative of hearing back from you.
Thanks again for an excellent survey of these products which impact daily life of the contactlens wearer enormously.
Cindy
Cindy,
Thank you for checking out my article. I revise it periodically as products and their availability change. Your e-mail prompted me to check into what happened to Exaeris, Inc, which ended up with the rights to Lens Plus. I found out they went bankrupt in 2007 and I don't if Lens Plus is still made by anyone.
Below is my revised paragraph regarding non-preserved saline solutions (edited moments ago):
"Non-Preserved Saline Products: Non-preserved sterile saline solution should cause no problem on the eye when used with soft contact lenses, as long as it hasn't been contaminated. Unfortunately non-preserved saline solution is a good media for growing microorganisms, and to keep this from happening various presatives have been added to saline solutions to inhibit the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms. Unfortunately, many of the preservatives bother the eyes of contact wearers, causing allergic reactions and discomfort. Even Bausch and Lomb's Sensitive Eyes® Saline and Alcon Saline Solution use edetate disodium as a preservative. This preservative can bother some people. Prior to the peroxide systems, heat was used for contactlens disinfection, and at least one of the original non-preserved saline solutions initially intended for heat disinfection is still available, Alcon Unisol 4. We have also seen a store brand equivalent made by CVS pharmacy. These are 4 ounce bottles of non-preserved saline solution. Not having a preservative in sterile saline solution can cause the solution to become contaminated and become non-sterile after opening, so once it is opened it should be used immediately and the unused portion discarded within 30 days (or sooner if it has become contaminated--refrigeration can help preserve sterility). Another method of preserving saline solution without potentially harmful chemical preservatives is manufacturing the saline in a can in which it can be expelled using a gas propellent. This is what Allergan did in the production of Lens Plus® Saline. Later AMO, and then Exaeris, Inc, was been given the rights to this excellent product. On July 2, 2007, Exaeris, Inc. filed petition for bankruptcy and we don't know if we'll see Lens Plus® Saline again. Another saline solution we put under the list of non-preserved saline products is Ciba Softwear® Saline. Technically it has an ingredient in the bottle, sodium perborate, that acts like a preservative in inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. But the beauty of this product is that when the saline is poured out of the bottle and is exposed to air, the solution acts as a non-preserved saline, and never produces an allergic reaction in the eye. Ciba has been having a problem manufacturing the product but it should be available."
I know that the various 4 ounce non-preserved saline solutions are available, but if you can find Ciba Sofwear Saline, it has a longer shelf life and can be the same as spray saline.
John W Elman, OD
September 25 2008
I just ran across your article of 9/15/08 about contact lense solutions. I feel like I just won the lottery.
I am a fifty year old woman who has worn contact lenses since the age of 13. My vision is very bad, with a contact lense correction of -11.0. My glasses are, I believe, -13.0. My natural eye color is very, very, very light blue. My optometrist calls them ice blue.
I have been wearing Accuvue Oasys lenses over the last several years and although they are the most comfortable lenses I've yet to wear I still struggle. I am allergic to every solution EXCEPT Lens Plus Preservative Free Saline Solution. I can't clean my lenses because I can't find a preservative free cleaning solution that doesn't irritate my eyes and I haven't seen, available here the Lens Plus rewetting drops you speak of. In fact, it's like going on a safari these days just to find Lens Plus Preservative Free Saline Solution. Even with the use of LP, my eyes stay irritated and dry.
Needless to say, I have been a miserable contact lense wearer for years. My eyes are always red, irritated and dry. So dry at this point, my doctor told me several years ago I wouldn't not ever be a candidate for laser eye surgery.
I guess my point is, I am so frustrated. I've had several optometrist through the years that just roll their eyes when I tell them I'm allergic to everything except Lens Plus (as they try and push a "new" product. I always carry a can of it with me to my eye examinations so I can use it to put my lenses back in after examination. I can't even use Unisol Preservative Free, which is a conondrum to me. I don't know if it is buffered different but, it too, leads to a reaction. As an aside, I find the less I take the lenses out the less of an irritation I have. Although my eyes are always uncomfortable, red and irritated keeping the lense on my eye seems to almost serve as a bandaid of sorts.
I just wish, there was some product out there, where I could comfortably wear my lenses for just once in my life. Of course, I could and do wear my glasses from time to time but my vision is so bad they look horrible and distort. Heck, even crying causes my eyes to swell unbelievably. Can on actually be allergic to their own tears?
Since I am in North Carolina, you obviously can't advise me on a doctor/patient level. However, if you could offer ANY suggestions as to what I might try to help moisturize the eye or clean the lense, I would appreciate it.
Sorry for this rambling message but you are the first doctor I have run across that has echoed what I have been telling my doctors for years. (just my luck..on the West Coast).
Regards,
Susan
Dear Susan,
Thank you for your e-mail. It sounds like it must be something other than preservatives that cause a problem with saline solutions in your case (perhaps buffering). Besides the non-preserved Unisol 4 products, Ciba Softwear Saline, which I describe in my article, is an excellent product which I have never seen bother anyone. That being said I found out recently about another spray saline, Blairex Preservative Free Saline, and I revised my web article adding it (see below). Blairex has on its website (www.Blairex.com) links to online drugstores that carry it products. It is also possible to order it from the company directly 1-800-BLAIREX (1-800-252-4739).
Dr E
October 4 2008
I purchased the Ciba Softwear Saline and I'm on day five.
I took the contact lenses I had been wearing for about three days out and soaked them in the solution overnight then returned to contacts to my eyes the following morning. Yikes, my left eye was killing me, as the day went on it got worse and worse and my right eye also seemed to be painful, yet not nearly as much.
With much reluctance, by the end of the day I took the lenses out, once again convinced I was just doomed! Well, yesterday morning, I decided to try again. I took my right lense out and carefully inspected it, it appeared completely intact, so I rinsed it well and put it in my eye and it felt great. Next, I took the left lense out of the case and inspected it carefully. Well, wouldn't you know it, the left lense had a very, very tiny little piece missing from the edge of the lense. I threw it away and took out another lense and rinsed it thoroughly with the Ciba. Viola! No pain, my eyes felt great. Moist, no grit, very soothed.
This morning, for the first time in many years I awoke to clear vision and no red eyes! I'm truly amazed and so grateful to you.
Contact lenses are a necessary luxury for me, my vision being so very poor. I am disabled and live on quite a bit less then $1,000 a month. That money needs to pay for rent, utilities, food, EVERYTHING! I lead a very solitary, no frills life and now to truly be able to enjoy the luxury of pain free, clear vision makes a difference I cannot explain.
Somebody was watching out for me the day I did a google search and found your article about contactsolutions.
Thank you again. Without your help I would still be suffering. I feel so blessed and very much like I won the lottery.
From North Carolina and with great regard,
Susan
Non-Preserved Saline Products: Non-preserved sterile saline solution should cause no problem on the eye when used with soft contact lenses, as long as it hasn't been contaminated. Unfortunately non-preserved saline solution is a good media for growing microorganisms, and to keep this from happening various presatives have been added to saline solutions to inhibit the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms. Unfortunately, many of the preservatives bother the eyes of contact wearers, causing allergic reactions and discomfort. Even Bausch and Lomb's Sensitive Eyes® Saline and Alcon Saline Solution use edetate disodium as a preservative. This preservative can bother some people. Prior to the peroxide systems, heat was used for contactlens disinfection, and at least one of the original non-preserved saline solutions initially intended for heat disinfection is still available, Alcon Unisol 4. We have also seen a store brand equivalent made by CVS pharmacy. These are 4 ounce bottles of non-preserved saline solution. Not having a preservative in sterile saline solution can cause the solution to become contaminated and become non-sterile after opening, so once it is opened it should be used immediately and the unused portion discarded within 30 days (or sooner if it has become contaminated--refrigeration can help preserve sterility). Another method of preserving saline solution without potentially harmful chemical preservatives is manufacturing the saline in a can in which it can be expelled using a gas propellent. This is what Allergan did in the production of Lens Plus® Saline. Later AMO, and then Exaeris, Inc, was been given the rights to this product. On July 2, 2007, Exaeris, Inc. filed petition for bankruptcy. Blairex Preservative Free Saline is another spray saline in a can. It can be ordered from online drugstores. Another saline solution we put under the list of non-preserved saline products is Ciba Softwear® Saline. Technically it has an ingredient in the bottle, sodium perborate, that acts like a preservative in inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. But the beauty of this product is that when the saline is poured out of the bottle and is exposed to air, the solution acts as a non-preserved saline, and never produces an allergic reaction in the eye. Ciba has been having a problem manufacturing the product but it should be available.
Writing you from Vancouver, BC Canada here on Dec 30, 2008 and I have only just now found out Eaerxis' Lens Plus Preservative Fee Aerosol Saline Solution, which I have been using for twenty years, has been discontinued. This is truly outrageous, as one of your writers has commented - these are medical products, it is truly unbelievable these companies can discontinue these essential products with no regard to their thousands of long, long time users and customers.
I, too, was originally put onto the AOPSep cleaning system and the Lens Plus saline solution when I experienced a severe eye infection in 1989, owing possibly to the use of 'homemade' saline solution (which I had been preparing for many years prior, the salt tablet in the distilled water routine, also referenced above). The AOPSep and Lens Plus system had proved utterly infallible and perfect for me all these many years. I never again had contact lens problems. And that coming from someone, who, with the combined use of a daily (rub) cleaner and the periodic use of the Enzyme Protein Tablet Remover, had had a perfect lens care system, one that enabled me to wear even my new disposable lenses for several weeks instead of the recommended disposal of them after only days of wear. Being an old-school lens user who could not bring herself to dispose of a pair every week, I'm also someone whose eyes create much protein buildup, thereby necessitating the daily lens cleaner.
AMO, who bought out Allergan, discontinued its daily lens cleaner in 2007. I was able to survive this product loss fairly smoothly and stress-free with a switch to Bausch &Lomb's Sensitive Eye Cleaner. I don't think it's as superior a product as the AMO daily cleaner, but it is an adequate substitute. And, most importantly, I had no adverse allergic reaction to it, which I was most concerned about.
However, with this new loss of the aerosol Lens Plus Sterile Saline Solution, I am truly at a loss at what to do. Like many others, this has been a vital and essential product for me, and with your information regarding the non-aerosol saline products, with and without preservatives, I have many concerns.
For now, I am going to be heading out to hit every remaining drug store in the city vicinity to see how many Lens Plus cans I can still find available to buy up(!). I'm not sure what else to do at this point. I guess a visit to my eye doctor will have to soon be in order to discuss some alternatives, or I will try your recommendation of the Ciba Software Saline or the Blairex Saline product.
Ironically, when I made one of my last purchases of Lens Plus I was advised by a pharmacist that this product was very popular as it was now also being recommended by tattoo artists to their customers, people with new tattoos to keep their tattoo clean. Another alternative use for the Lens Plus - that perhaps a future company could exploit. I do hope that somehow, some company, will still be able to obtain the rights to the Lens Plus solution and resume production. This was the last sterile aerosol saline solution on the market - many people NEED this product. I'm sure I speak for many when I say, I fervently hope the product is produced again in the near future.
Thank you for your valuable and hugely informative article. I'm pleased I found it so immediately today upon conducting an on-line search for news on the discontinuation of Exaeris' Lens Plus solution.
Ciba Softwear Saline, which has sometimes been hard to find, should work work as well as Lens Plus Saline spray. It contains Hydrogen Peroxide (0.006%), which acts a preserving agent while solution is in container, but acts like non-preserved saline when solution leaves container and is exposed to air. Another alternative is Unisol 4 (or several store brand equivalents). It is a non-preserved saline which needs to be used soon after opening, which makes it less desirable than Lens Plus or Softwear Saline. The can in Lens Plus Saline offered a preserving action which made it the best engineered saline product, but the Ciba Softwear is a close second, and is available online at Drugstore.com and CVS.com.
I was notified today that as of Jan. 2010, CIBA is discontinuing Miraflow and Softwear Saline. They claim they are not discontinuing Aosept, but what products will we use with it? Besides, patients need saline to rinse their lenses, regardless of cleaning method.
This is very bad news. Do you have any suggestions?
I have attached some of the correspondence, below.
Sheila Levine
This is a promotion and may or may not be continued. If the store you use asks for regular supplies of AO Sept without the added CLEAR CARE, they may be able to get this. We are not phasing out AO Sept , but MIraflow and Softwear Saline are being discontinued in Jan 2010. We at this time do not have an alternative for these other then the CLEAR CARE and Unizyme. We apologize for this inconvenience. I can tell you that if you choose to stock up on the products, they are dated 2 years from date of manufacturing.
Sherry
"Levine, Sheila S." 04/09/2009 10:06 AM
To: cc: Subject: RE: us.cibavision.com contact us
Thanks for your response. Are you going to package Aosept this way from now on? It seems like you are phasing out Aosept. Clear Care is good, but the cleaner in it does not compare to the result achieved from using Miraflow with Aosept.
The enzyme cleaner is not a good alternative to cleaning with Miraflow; Miraflow cleans better than any other cleaner and heavy depositors use it along with Unizyme tablets.
Also, all contact lens wearers need saline. For example, if something gets into your eye, you must use saline, not water, to rinse your lenses. Moreover, many people want to rinse their lenses after disinfection, regardless of the product used. So, even Clear Care users need saline.
As I have written before, my daughter had both keratitis and GPC. Since using the Aosept system for several years, she is problem free. We want to keep it that way.
Thanks, Sheila Levine
-----Original Message----- From: sherry.vanore@cibavision.com on behalf of tccr.atlanta@cibavision.com Sent: Thu 4/9/2009 9:10 AM To: Levine, Sheila S. Subject: Re: us.cibavision.com contact us
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for contacting CIBA Vision. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers' with their comments and concerns. The addition of the CLEAR CARE sample is for those consumers' that are not aware of the product and do not need the use of Miraflow and Saline to care for their lenses. It is added at no additonal charge. For those who choose to use CLEAR CARE and are heavy depositors, the use of Unizyme enzyme tablets are also available. This used weekly instead of Miraflow and Saline daily are a excellent alternative. I hope this information is helpful. Thank you again for contacting CIBA Vision and for your interest in our products.
I had a one-hour conversation with Rick Bedgood at Ciba Vision. He acknowledged all my points but says the products do not sell enough, even while admitting they did little to market them He acknowledged how when there was a shortage, people were selling Aosept for $30 per bottle on ebay. Still when these products became available again, they did little to market them in favor of their "new" products.
For example, the Ciba website does not even mention that you can purchase Miraflow in CVS stores; more would get it if they knew it was there. I told him that people find where these products are anyway and buy them and that they are abandoning a significant population for whom these products have been lifesavers. He claims the cleaner in Clear Care is just as good as use of a daily cleaner--or good enough. He went back and forth on this latter point.
He said that the CEO made the decision late last year. I asked to be able to speak to said CEO. He said there would be no point. I said I still wanted to speak to him or her; I intend to follow up if I do not hear anything.
Might it not be useful on your blog to advise people to call Ciba in droves to protest the elimination of Miraflow and Softwear Saline? Mr. Bedgood implied that consumer demand plays a big part in their decisionmaking. I think Aosept users have not been vocal enough; moreover, I presume that many do not know about this latest decision. They will not know until they no longer can find Softwear Saline and Miraflow on the shelves.
I know you are very busy but just wanted to update you on my dealings with Ciba Vision; it was a most frustrating experience. Thanks, Sheila Levine
Dear Dr. Elman: I have been talking to Ciba representatives without much success about the ill-advised decision to discontinue Miraflow Daily Cleaner and Softwear Saline, both of which are used with Aosept disinfectant. Even Clear Care users need Softwear Saline for rinsing lenses, if desired, and if something becomes lodged in the eye. I feel the only step left is for Aosept consumers to contact Ciba representatives directly demanding that Ciba continue to manufacture these excellent products. The number for Ciba is 1-678-415-3937. A listing of Ciba executives can be found at http://www.cibavision.com/about_worldwide/company_execs/company_execs.shtml
Aosept (and Clear Care) consumers: Please contact Ciba today; do not wait until these products no longer appear on the shelves.
Thank you very much for all your lens care information. It is through reading comments on your site that I was able to find a real substitute for Lens Plus Saline Solution for my soft contacts. You saved me from driving to Pennsylvania to confront Exaeris or flying to England to try to buy some from its maker: INyX. That's how desperate I'd become. I tried B&L's Sensitive Eyes Plus Saline Solution but it, too, irritated my eyes. Finally, I ordered Blairex Sterile Saline Solution online (www.blairex.com.; phone is: 1-800-252-4739) and after two days feel confident that I can wear my contacts again for extended periods.
The real clincher for me, besides the product coming in an aerosol can just like Lens Plus, is the fact it is PRESERVATIVE FREE! It states in the printed material inside the box that it is free of Thimerosal (Mercury), which is why I chose Lens Plus decades ago. I strongly recommend anyone who has been satisfied with Lens Plus to try this product (although they should probably order more than one can at a time...$7.99...as the shipping charge is almost as much as the product, itself). Thanks again; you have been a life saver!
You should also be able to find Unisol 4 at local drugstores. It is a preservative-free saline, but must be used soon after opening because the beauty of aerosol cans of saline (like the defunct Lens Plus and the not locally stocked Blairex product) is the can serves the function of a preservative in keeping microorganisms from growing. You can make non-preserved last longer by refrigerating it.
This is why solutions like Softwear Saline are so essential. People allergic to other preserved salines can use this product. Many times when I go to CVS, they are sold out of Softwear Saline. Patients should contact Ciba and let them know their dissatisfaction that this product is being discontinued. People making the decisions at Ciba are too far removed from patients and their needs. Thanks, Dr. Elman, for all you do. S. Levine
Thank you for reminding me of Ciba's Softwear Saline which, like so many other products of Ciba, has worked great for years--maybe the best conceived saline product ever made. Like spray saline, it has preservative action as long as the saline is in its bottle (because of perborate) to keep microorganisms from growing, but the perborate dissipates when the solution leaves the bottle and it acts like a non-preserved saline on the eye and on contact lenses. I have never known anyone who has had a problem with this product except for one thing--and that is getting it. You rarely can find it on store shelves. The company says they are discontinuing it. Why? Because it is not selling, they say. And why is not selling? Because would-be customers cannot get it. This circular thinking is part of the wonderful world of Ciba Corporate Think. They are creating a growing list of great products that you cannot get like Softwear Saline, Quickcare and Miraflow Cleaner. Quickcare was a 2 bottle system that had an effective cleaning and disinfection agent called Starting Solution (it was Miraflow with a higher pH) and a bottle of Softwear Saline which was labelled Finishing Solution it worked great. Clean and disinfect in 5 minutes and end with non-preserved saline, but Ciba discontinued it a couple years ago. They would rather promote new multipurpose solutions that neither clean nor disinfect as well as their earlier well conceived original products and the new ones have more potential problems for patient allergy and sensitivity reactions. Don't you love Ciba Corporate Think?
hello i have sjogren`s syndrome for 10 years and i was using b&l saline it was perfect for my eyes but they stop it this days and im still so depress couldnt find the suitable one for my eyes i have avery sensitive drying eyes and they adviced me to use AOSEPT is it agood option ,if it is can i use refresh plus drops as saline to clean the lenses after using the AOSEPT. is there any side effect of using AOSEPT?? thanx u alot
