Do you have to rub contact lenses to clean them if your cleanser is 'no rub'?

The new recommendations apply even if your product is advertised as “no rub,’’ and also include throwing out cleansers by the discard date, washing your hands when handling lenses, and allowing your lens storage case to dry (upside down, so water can drain) when lenses are removed. Never clean lenses with nonsterile water, which includes water from the tap, bottled water, water from lakes or oceans, or homemade saline solution. Saliva, of course, is not sterile, either.

Dr. Kathryn Colby, an eye surgeon at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, said that “rubbing lenses removes more debris than simply rinsing’’ - similar to washing dishes, where scrubbing removes more stuck food particles than just rinsing. “Less debris means cleaner lenses.’’

This month, the FDA wrote to the nine companies allowed to market “no rub’’ lenses. The letter is not an official enforcement action, but asks the companies to “come in’’ to discuss the new data on lens cleaning, said Dr. Dan Schultz, director of the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

E-mail health questions to foreman@globe.com.