Major Dilemma: Sleeping with Contact Lenses On

Contact lenses are, in several ways, much convenient and aesthetically pleasing than eyeglasses. However, they do inflict certain dangers and problems. One major complain of contact lens wearers is having to take them off at night and before sleeping. For the reason that at times, we are too exhausted to remove our contact lenses or while traveling, oftentimes we tend to overlook bringing our contact lens case and solutions.

There are countless of explanations presented to us why we get eye contaminations, but most of the time the reason why we experience such complications is due to the fact that we sleep with contact lenses on. Sleeping with contact lenses on causes minor and major eye conditions because of the infection that has occurred while you were asleep.

Importance of Contact Lens Removal before Sleeping

Why is it so important? The simple answer to that is because when we wear our contact lenses, we stop the oxygen from passing through the eyes. Oxygen is very important to the cornea. It passes the eyes through very fragile blood vessels by disseminating oxygen thru your tears. When our eyes lack oxygen, chances are we will likely have eye infections and blood vessels will appear. Our eyes can also draw in fungi, bacteria and viruses.

What are the risks when we sleep with our contact lenses?

Plenty of possible threats can be connected as to why it is not advisable to sleep with our contact lenses on. Contact lenses can only be worn in a maximum time permitted. 10 hours or less is the suitable time to wear our contact lenses.

1. Dry eyes - can be acquired when we sleep in with our contact lenses. Worn overnight, it will be very difficult to remove in the morning.
2. Blurring of vision - sleeping with lenses on may cause blurred vision since deposits have already accumulated during daytime wear. After all, contact lenses require subsequent cleaning and disinfecting to remove any harmful bacteria. It can also make contact lenses uncomfortable to wear which can lead to scaring your eyes tissues.
3. Keratitis - when we practice poor contact lens care and sleep with contact lenses that are designed for daily disposable use only, we can be sure that our eyes have been harmed which leads to the development of keratitis ( a severe situation wherein our eyes are inflamed). Higher chances of visual loss and damage to the cornea can be experienced when one has keratitis.
4. Rainbows - when waking up, people who have slept in while their contact lenses are on will most probably see halos around lights
5. Infections - contact lenses worn longer than the suggested period can cause debris to build on the lens surface
6. Photosensitivity - this happens when contact lenses have been worn for a length of time resulting to an extreme reaction to sunlight
7. Corneal Ulcer - these are open sores on the eyes cornea, our cornea becomes really painful and red

Extended Wear contact lenses

A majority of extended wear contact lenses can be worn for up to 7 to 30 days without replacing them since these lenses are made of silicone hydrogel materials that is known to be "super-permeable". Silicone hydrogel contact lenses gives off more oxygen to the eye in contrast with other traditional contact lenses, evading faster build-up of proteins making overnight wear of contact lenses so much safer than before.

Best Brands of Extended Wear contact lenses

• Purevision - made with a unique AerGel material that prevents bacteria's and helps your contact lenses stay fresh throughout the day, allows normal levels of oxygen for white, healthy eyes
• Focus Night & Day - with an Aqua Moisture System that lubricates your eyelids, retain moisture, superb comfort and high oxygen diffusion
• Durasoft 3 Colorblends - a flexi-wear type of color contact lenses
• Softcon EW (Extended Wear) - gives comfort and clarity of vision that can be worn up to 7 days

The U.S.A. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that it is safe to wear extended wear contact lenses to sleep at night. However, it is not 100% risk free so there are still a few hazards that can be encountered.

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