An Analysis of Private Label Contact Lens Solutions

Background: It is estimated that contact lens patients purchase generic solutions as much
as 30% of the time. With so many patients purchasing private label products, it is
important to verify the ingredients in private label solutions and determine if they are
comparable to the solutions that eye care practitioners are recommending.
Methods: Private label solutions were purchased from ten national retailers and one
regional chain in the Midwestern United States. Ingredient lists on package labels were
analyzed and compared to FDA approved, equivalent brand names.
Results: The ten national retail stores and one regional chain that were investigated in this
study do not manufacture their own private label lens care solutions. Instead, they
contract with major manufactures that produce FDA approved contact lens solutions to be
used under their store’s private label. It was also found, that these products were often
earlier generation products that may not be compatible with the newest contact lens
materials.
Conclusions: The analysis of these private label solutions will provide future
practitioners with a useful tool when interacting with their contact lens patients. Patients
can be easily misled by labels that are designed to look like certain brand-name solutions, when in fact, the actual formulation is not comparable. With many patients choosing to purchase private label solutions, eye care practitioners need to be aware of the differences to help educate their patients that not all solutions are the same.