ABSTRACT Proper lens maintenance is required if contact lens wear is to be successful. Poor compliance or inadequate cleaning may lead to contact lens failures and potentially damage to the eye. With phase contrast microscopy, we ad‐dressed the effect of cleaning systems on the physical integrity of a surface‐modified lens—the Silcon contact lens. Several cleaners were evaluated for their ability to clean Silcon lenses with minimal damage to the lens surface. The data demonstrated that: (1) all cleaning techniques alter the surface appearance; (2) scratches develop more readily on lenses received with surface irregularities; (3) wettability does not correlate with the extent of surface scratching; (4) recommended cleaning procedures do not directly alter the wettability of the contact lens material; and (5) phase contrast microscopy may be a useful addition to laboratory quality control.
DOELL et al. (1986) studied this question.