Causes of discolored contact lenses

6/5/2020

Have you ever woken up to find your contacts have turned pink or some other unusual color? Certain medications and disinfecting agents have been known to discolor soft contact lenses. Below is a list of the most common culprits.

Orange: Drugs used to treat urinary tract infections, or rifampin for tuberculosis and meningococcal disease

Pink: Switching from chemical to peroxide disinfection pharmacy-grade peroxide (brown bottle) instead of peroxide designed for contact lenses or laxatives containing phenolphthalein or resorcinol

Brown: Sorbic acid or potassium sorbate; switching from chemical to peroxide disinfection; smoking(nicotine); sulfasalazine for inflammatory bowel disease

Green: Prolonged use of systemic beta blockers

Yellow: Sorbic acid or potassium sorbate; switching from chemical to peroxide disinfection; smoking(nicotine); laxatives that contain phenolphthalein

#medication #betablockers #hydrogenperoxide #contacts #contactlenses #eye #eyes #eyeexam #eyedoctor

39 Comments

Lauren

8/5/2021 08:19:35 pm

My contact turned pink or reddish but I didn’t use a different contact solution since I have daily contacts? Are there any other reasons why it may have turned pink? One of my contacts turned pink and the other one did not. I wear 1.75 in one eye and a 2.00 in the other.

Leighann

11/4/2021 03:05:05 pm

I put my contacts away as per usual last night. I noticed nothing until I was about to leave home. My right contact was completely red. I have no idea why.

2/20/2023 06:45:50 pm

Laxot9ves containing a certain ingredient

Stacy Crihfield link

3/17/2023 03:44:20 am

Well judging by all of the names I’m thinking it is a female thing. Probably a cosmetic or supplement for women. Everyone with pink contacts apple to be female. I’ve had this happen several times over the past 6 months also.

Sam

6/25/2023 12:05:44 pm

I also hade mine turn pinkish red but never changed soliton I have hade mine for about a week and a half reply if you know what’s happening

Kirsten Read

8/11/2021 11:36:59 pm

Honestly I've been having the same problem for the past few months. I haven't found and answers. If you want to chat or have had any luck figuring out what's going on I would be happy to be in contact.

Jane

9/8/2021 06:18:41 pm

The contact in my right eye turned red! I thought my eye was bleeding until I took it out! I have the same daily wear lens prescription in both eyes, so I am really not sure if what is causing it to happen. The only thing I saw was that they could turn pink if you were taking certain laxatives, which I am not. I would love to hear if you have figured it out!

Sheri White

9/10/2021 10:32:35 pm

I have the same issue, and I am not taking l laxatives either. I would love to know why this keeps happening.

Erica T

10/26/2021 02:25:39 pm

My contact also turned pink - I think it was due to a new eyeshadow. I was able to wash off the color with some work, but it shocked me for a moment 🙃

Keli

12/6/2021 06:39:36 pm

I’ve been having this same problem since September. 6 different sets now, didn’t wear make up for months still happened, haven’t been on any medications, still happened. It’s so embarrassing because people look at me funny or thinking I have pink eye and I remove it and put it in solution and instantly the solution is tuning pink. Following this post to hopefully find and answer because it’s expensive to keep buying them to wear them for a day or two and have it happen again.

Tasha

12/11/2021 10:05:30 pm

I have daily wear contacts and by the way, been wearing contacts for over 25 years. This just happened to me for the first time with these daily wears. I looked like a character off twilight. One contact was darker red than the other when I pulled them out. I just googled and this chat came up.

Jamee

12/12/2021 06:50:09 am

What brand of disposables are you using?

Jamee Cook link

12/12/2021 06:49:28 am

This has been happening to me for several months. It only happens in one eye and I use Bausch and Lomb Bio True one day lenses, so it’s not related to soaking, etc. I rarely take stool softeners. I’m now beginning to wonder if it might be related to supplements I take, since a lot that I read is focused on laxatives. Do any of you take glutathione, vitamin D or C, Quercetin, magnesium regularly?

Lexi

6/12/2022 11:05:01 pm

I take those supplements too and since I have my contacts have been turning pink too. I also take CD. Do you?

Jamee Cook

6/13/2022 04:59:25 am

Hi Lexi, I do not take CD. My doctor switched me to Airoptix lenses and I’ve been out of glutathione. No pink recently. I’m not sure which switch made the difference. I may start back on the glutathione and just see what happens. My other supplements haven’t changed. I also do pellet HRT.

Melody

7/28/2022 11:22:37 pm

So I just had the same exact experience. I took out my contacts tonight and the left one was fine but the right one was pink! This has NEVER happened before and I've been wearing contacts for 16 years. I'm almost certain it's because of the Evening Primrose supplement I'm taking. Yesterday morning was the first time taking it and tonight suddenly I have a pink contact. I haven't taken anything else or done anything out of the ordinary except for that. Aside from the Evening Primrose Seed Oil, the ingredients also include a small amount of Gamma-Linolenic Acid. So maybe either one of those things did it?

Hopefully this helps someone else figure it out. I'll probably take this for a few more days and see if it gets more pink. If it does, well, I guess I have officially found the culprit for my contact discoloration.

Good luck, everyone!

Hazel Anderson

8/17/2023 09:37:44 pm

I am wearing the same. Bausch & Lomb Bio True. The right contact turns pink. I changed it and again it happened. Same soaking solution

Kathy

1/11/2022 03:59:35 pm

This just started happening to me a few days ago. I’ve been using same same solution and same brand of contacts for a few years. It started Saturday for the first time so I thought it was because I got my hair done and being under the dryer. So I put a brand new pair in the next day and that night when I took them out they was a dark pink/light red. I don’t take laxatives….

Debby

1/17/2022 11:49:25 am

Mine turn pink when I used eye drops (for dry eyes) too close to putting them in my eye. If you are using any kind of eyedrops, wait 20 minutes before inserting soft contact lenses. They are safe to wear if they turn pink, as long as you are disinfecting them correctly.

Naima

10/17/2022 05:56:05 pm

I think this is what just happened to me. Took out my contacts and my right one was red. I did put in eye drops just before putting in my contacts this morning. This was the first time it’s balls down to me. The eye drops do expire this month. Geesh you may have saved me from a freak out.

Suzy

2/20/2022 02:25:38 pm

Same for me sometimes pink/red, one is one isn’t, or some days both ok other days both pink/red, eyes checked and all ok, was taking HRT for 6 weeks which I’ve now stopped, think it could be that 🤷🏻‍♀️ very confused not wearing as much and using eye drops, but eyes very very dry in the mornings

Jean

3/5/2022 07:22:10 pm

My daily contacts have been turning orange. I’m not taking medication for UTI or irritable bowel. I’d like to know why this is happening.

3/6/2022 01:39:52 am

I worked mine out, it was a cheap eyeshadow that I was using, a blue colour when I sprinkle some in my contact lenses solution it turned it red, this was getting in my eye whilst wearing my lenses

Allie

4/23/2022 08:13:08 am

I was having this issue as well-red contact lenses-and it turned out it was my eyeliner! I use a brown liquid marker eyeliner and it bleeds red (if I cry or eat it wet, it turned red,not brown!) so mayhaps, y’all are experiencing something similar? It freaked me out when I first saw it, but it only took me a day or 2 to figure out what was causing it. I find it I fall asleep with my makeup on, it’s waaaaaay more likely to happen.

Hope this helps someone!

Rachel

3/9/2022 06:46:47 am

Had this for the first time today, freaked me out! Left contact dark red/purple, right pretty normal, maybe a little blue... anyone use a similar hair dye to the colour their contact turned? 🤔

6/13/2022 05:02:57 am

I’m not sure of the hair dye. I do use red coloring. My stylist uses Pravana I believe.

OLIVIA

6/25/2022 09:21:13 pm

i use green pravana hair dye and my contact turned green once so i think that is very possible

skskskkss

7/21/2022 10:37:04 pm

hey i accidentally left my contacts stored without contact lenses solution with it. in result, my contacts turned a pink shade so i’m not sure if i should still continue to wear it. any ideas or suggestions???

Braden Bills link

12/5/2022 07:22:05 am

I'm planning on getting contact lenses, so I'm looking into different parts of owning them. It's good to know that contact lenses can shift colors depending on different chemical reactions! I'll be sure to keep an eye on them to find out if I'm having any issues.

Staci Cripps

12/8/2022 06:33:27 pm

Noticed this happening the past 3-4 days.
I use daily wear lenses and the past few nights when I take out the lenses I’ve noticed a pink/red cast to the lens that I know was not there when I put them in that morning.
I’ve recently taken AZO type pills for prevention of a UTI, had my hair done with red highlights, and I’ve bought new eyeshadow.. the last 2 having taken place just this weekend and then the color change began on Monday.
I was a bit concerned, but now I’m going to stop using the eyeshadow to eliminate one of the possible causes.
I haven’t taken the AZO pills in a while and I can’t do anything about the hair dye except wait it out.

I’m glad I found this discussion so that I have a possibility to focus on now.

Pam Tollefson

12/27/2022 12:03:34 pm

I have used contacts for about 35 years with no problem. In the last two months, my contacts are pinkish when in the container (after wearing them).. I know there is a chemical in laxatives but I don’t use them. Just realized after reading these comments, that I started on a dietary supplement called “astafx plus” which has carrot powder, lycopene, Lutein from marigold flower extract astaxanthin in it. Thinking it could be the reason for the contact color change?

Tanya

2/3/2023 03:52:02 am

I recently experienced this issue with one contact (right) turning pink and the other being fine. At first I thought maybe it was makeup, which has discolored contacts before, but never in just one eye, as I’m using all the same products on both eyes and no new or different products. My best guess right now is that it might be a new magnesium supplement I started taking-Nature’s Bounty. But it’s definitely an odd situation.

2/3/2023 10:30:04 am

I ended up calling the contact supply company and they sent me new lenses for free.. I continued with my supplements and the lenses haven’t turned pink now since then. It’s been a few weeks. Happy about that.

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4/13/2023 05:36:37 am

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Cathy

5/28/2023 06:24:09 am

I cried yesterday and my lenses turned red. Never have had this happen before. I did start a new brand of lens this spring. Maybe the eye make-up I was wearing was the culprit? I did use a liquid liner yesterday instead of my usual pencil. The person who said it made them look like a character out of Twilight was exactly right!

April

7/16/2023 09:46:57 am

My left eye contact did this yesterday and never before have I had this happen. As I was taking my contacts out last night and washing them in the Bio True solution, I noticed the left eye contact lens was a pink hue. I was wearing light pink eye shadow (ColourPop) however the pinkish hue on the contact lens was more towards a magenta shade.

I freaked out a bit and washed and washed the lens, and let it soak overnight in the solution like usual. Contact lens is clear today. Not sure what to make of this and I don't take any supplements, medications or laxatives. They're brand new contacts too so it was very bizarre especially only one contact lens doing it.

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