Overview
My optometrist recommended that I purchase an ultrasonic contact lens cleaner to dislodge proteins that build up on the lens, such as this one.
Design for a Simple, Inexpensive Contact Lens Cleaner
Contact Lens Sonicator
The components include a contact lens case, 1-2 vibration motors ($5 each from Sparkfun), a 3V battery (CR2016), putty, and electrical tape.
I looked into it, and found that they cost $35 and consist of only of a vibration motor and a holder. This device does not fit neatly into my bathroom drawer, and must be plugged in to use. I decided instead to make my own, at a lower cost and with a more convenient design. This took almost no work at all, but it serves as a good example of the many ways I like customize my home lifestyle for simplicity and utility.
Commercial off the shelf lens cleaner
To compare effectiveness more quantitatively, I will use my microscope to assess the protein accumulation on the contact lenses. However, I wear my contact lenses for 1 month before discarding them, and I'd like to collect at least a few sets before comparing them.
The commercial contact lens cleaner works by sonicating the lenses. My objective here is to repicate that functionality by securing the vibration motors to the lens case. I want to achieve this in a way that minimizes the form factor and does not need to be plugged in.
First I powered the vibrator motors using the CR2016 battery and some electrical tape. The positive wire sticks to the tape as it is pressed onto the battery or peeled away, making it easy to turn the device on or off (below, left). However, because the stickiness of the tape degrades over time, I later chose to use putty instead (below, middle and right).
Next I used the putty to secure the vibrator motor to the contact lens case. It works quite well with just a single motor. I placed the vibrator motor directly against the case to minimize the dampening effect of the putty, which transfers plenty of energy (below, left).
I also tried securing the vibrator motor using the tape. Although it does transfer energy more efficiently than the putty, it wears out more quickly and does not stick as well (below, middle and right).
I experimented with several configurations of motors, using either 1 or 2, and testing the placement. Predictably, using two motors provides is more powerful, though a single motor still does the trick.
I tend to keep the vibrator motors on the bottom of the case because it's easiest to remove the lids. To dampen the vibrations into the drawer, I rest the case on two balls of putty (below, right).