I have worn hard lens contacts and gas permeable lenses since I was 16 years old and that was along time ago. My optometrist at one point recommended Lobob Extra Strength Cleaning solution. The primary issue is a protein deposit suddenly develops on my lenses obscuring my vision. This is also related to weather conditions and happens most frequently in hot weather. I tested the Lobob against Boston, Bosch and Lombe, and many other cleaners but nothing worked as well as Lobob ESC. It was once easily available in drugstores, pharmacies, and stores like Walmart. I even remember buying the 4 fl oz bottle for $4,35 at Walmart. But later on it became harder and harder to find. In 2019 Lobob had a problem with their manufacture not meeting FDA requirements and Lobob stopped supplying their lens cleaner. Suddenly people who hoarded the bottles started chargin outrageous amounts for them.
I frequently checked back on Lobob to see whether they resolved their manufacturing issues. They said they would but 5 years passed without results and most people gave up all hope. We tried everything from competitors to ultrasonic cleaners and so forth. But results were mediocre at best. I remembered that Lobob was an enzyme cleaner. So I began to use this as the search key. I found one but the results were not satisfactory.
Then I got a crazy idea. Why not try a good dish washing soap with no harmful additives. I spoke with Dawn (Proctor Gamble) and they directed me to the Free and Clear version of their Dawn dishwasher soap without any recommendations that would put any liability on them for my misuse of their product. They sent me a $1 off coupon and my wife bought the Dawn Free and Clear for less than $5 with the coupon for a 24 fl. oz. bottle. The only issue was that the bottle was upside down meaning you squeeze and it dispenses a massive amount of the soap from the bottom of the bottle. So I simply ordered a beautiful glass soap dispenser on Amazon that matched my bathroom and it worked perfectly dispensing a drop at a time if you like.
I am a hoarder and still have tons of old lenses to test the soap on. But while starting this new project I capitalized on the opportunity and decided to buy some sink strainers to make sure I could not lose any lenses down the drain. One can replace the pop up stopper for a pretty penny or buy lots of conventional strainers the right size for a few bucks. But I ordered a package of 6 on Temu for 89 cents and had backup for when I misplace it or go to my eye doctor who didn’t contact lens users might actually lose a lens in the sink. This worked out perfectly.
Next I took some old lenses and tried to clean them. It turns out that the idea is good but using dishwasher soap is a totally new experience and required several adjustments to the process.
First of all the Dawn is extremely slippery. So I had to adjust how I held the lenses. It turns out that the slipperiness of the soap diminishes during the rinse phase as more and more of the soap is washed off until there is no soap left on the lens. The next thing I noticed is the large quantity of suds or bubbles. But this too diminishes as more and more of the soap is rinsed off. So this means that I have two very good indicators for when the rinse cycle is complete. Next I would hold the lens up to the light and check it (ie each one in turn) was perfectly clean. Eventually after quite a bit of experimentation I standardized on a two cycle of cleaning and then rinsing of the lenses. And after the second cycle I was extra generous on the time and water to make sure that all of the soap was totally washed away. While the enzyme cleaners have a red cap indicating that it will burn your eyes, the Dawn is not that bad but still it is better to error on the side of caution here.
Now I must state that I am not an eye doctor or medical practitioner of any type and not legally authorized to recommend any medical or eye products. So please contact you own medical and eye doctor for professional advise. I am only sharing my experience in this exercise and can state that I am now extremely happy with my results. But I can not legally recommend that you perform any medical actions based on my post here and only provide it for your education and entertainment. Please follow due diligence. But for me I have a new solution to a long standing problem confronting all RGP lens users that is fully effective for me and my needs and its cost is negligible. I would even venture to guess that my 24 fl oz bottle for $5 could easily last for the rest of my life. And if I did have to buy another bottle, so what?