Does Contact lens solution expire?
Does Contact lens solution expire?
No. The date is real, and the opened bottle has a much shorter life than the printed date suggests.
Unopened: to the printed date. Opened: usually 90 days
Multipurpose solution contains a preservative system that keeps the bottle sterile, and that system depletes over time once the bottle is open. Past that point the bottle can grow the organisms it is supposed to kill, and contact lens wearers are being asked to put that directly onto the cornea. Acanthamoeba keratitis, the infection most associated with contaminated solution and with topping up rather than replacing, is rare, extremely painful and can cost the eye.
How to store it
- Never top up old solution — empty the case and refill.
- Replace the case itself every three months; the case is more often the source than the bottle.
How to tell it has gone
- Cloudiness or particles. But an expired bottle usually looks perfectly clear.
"Use by" and "best before" are legally different. Use-by is a safety date and should be respected; best-before is about quality, and food is usually fine well past it. Where the two diverge matters, the page above says which applies.
Common questions
- Does Contact lens solution expire?
- No. The date is real, and the opened bottle has a much shorter life than the printed date suggests.
- How long does Contact lens solution last?
- Unopened: to the printed date. Opened: usually 90 days
Related pages
- Does Sunscreen expire? No. Sunscreen is regulated as a drug and must hold its stated SPF for three years — after that, assume it does not.
- Does Condoms expire? No. Latex degrades, the date is regulated, and there is no visible warning before failure.
- Does Infant formula expire? No — this is the one supermarket product whose date is legally binding and should be obeyed exactly.
- Does Mascara and eye makeup expire? Three months after opening, and this is one of the cosmetic rules worth taking seriously.
- Does Child car seats expire? Yes, genuinely — six to ten years from manufacture, moulded into the shell.
- Does Smoke alarms expire? Ten years from manufacture, then the whole unit — not just the battery.
- Does Cycle and motorcycle helmets expire? Five years is the usual manufacturer figure, and any single significant impact ends it immediately.
- Does Plasters and sterile dressings expire? The adhesive fails and, more importantly, the sterile seal is only guaranteed to the date.
- Does Honey expire? Does not expire
- Does Eggs expire? Degrades in quality
- Does Medicines expire? Degrades in quality
- Does Milk expire? Has a real expiry date
- Does Salt expire? Does not expire
- Does Frozen food expire? Indefinite if stored properly
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration — FDA (Public domain (US Government))