System for disinfecting contact lenses

A method for disinfecting and cleaning contact lenses which are suitable for direct insertion into the eye upon completion of disinfection, comprising the steps of:

• (1) immersing a contact lens in an aqueous lens care solution including about 0.5% to about 6% by weight of hydrogen peroxide for a predetermined period of immersing time of at least about one hour to disinfect the contact lens, wherein the aqueous lens care solution comprises from about 0.30% to about 1.4% by weight of one or more chloride salts and has a pH of from about 6 to about 8 and a tonicity of from about 150 to about 400 mOsm/kg as measured by osmolality at 25° C. of the solution according to any known method;
• and
• (2) after the predetermined period of immersing time, electrochemically neutralizing said hydrogen peroxide in the aqueous lens care solution with the contact lens immersed therein so as to reduce the concentration of hydrogen peroxide to less than 20 ppm without electrolytic formation of chlorine and/or hypochlorite, wherein the step of electrochemically neutralizing the hydrogen peroxide is carried out by using one pair of electrodes, wherein the pair of electrodes consists of one cathode and one anode having an ion selective membrane thereon so as to prevent chloride ions from approaching the anode to form chlorine and/or hypochlorite, wherein the step of electrochemically neutralizing the hydrogen peroxide causes a change in pH, designated as ΔpH, of about 1.0 or less, wherein ΔpH=|pHo−pHf| in which pHo is the initial pH of the lens care solution and pHf is the final pH of the lens care solution after electrochemical neutralization of hydrogen peroxide.