Short answer: Pretty bad!
Contact lenses are a great option for people who hate the look and inconvenience of glasses. They’re virtually unnoticeable, they aren’t a hassle to wear, and they improve your eyesight just as well as glasses do. It’s estimated that 45 million Americans wear contact lenses.
But although ophthalmologists explain to people exactly what they should and shouldn’t be doing with their contact lenses, many decide to ignore this expert advice and misuse their lenses. It’s surprisingly common, for example, for people to wear their contact lenses for long periods of time without swapping them out–including while they’re asleep. In fact, 1 in 3 contact wearers sleep wearing their contact lenses. They may think this practice won’t affect their eyes in any way, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The dangers of sleeping in contact lenses
A report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that sleeping in contact lenses increases one’s risk of eye infections by 6 to 8 times. Eye infections can cause eye pain, corneal damage, and, in severe cases, even vision loss.
The FDA report included six cases of patients that arrived at medical centers complaining of eye irritation or vision problems. What did these patients have in common? They all slept in contact lenses. Doctors diagnosed them with eye infections, caused by bacteria which somehow made its way to the contact lenses in the patients’ eyes. After two surgeries and multiple doses of medication, all the patients recovered some degree of vision. However, their eyesight was permanently damaged or diminished in one way or another.
How to keep your eyes safe when wearing contact lenses
Besides always taking out your contacts before bed, there are a few things you can do to keep your eyes safe and prevent infections.
- Only wear prescription contact lenses. The FDA cautions about buying contact lenses from stores that sell them over the counter. You should only purchase contact lenses from a licensed pharmacy using an up-to-date prescription.
- Clean your lenses properly. Don’t use tap water to clean your contact lenses! You should always have a bottle of contact lens solution in your medicine cabinet at home and maybe even a small bottle that you carry with you. Your box of contact lenses will have instructions written on it so you know exactly how to clean your lenses.
- Never reuse lens solution. After cleaning your contact lenses, throw away the used solution and pour new solution into your lens case.
- Take out your lenses before swimming. Swimming in contact lenses can lead to infection.
If you have any eye irritation while wearing your contact lenses, remove them immediately and contact your eye care professional. Symptoms of eye irritation include itching, burning, redness, blurry vision, or general pain or discomfort. Keep your lenses and show them to your eye care professional during your next appointment.
To sum up
Sleeping with contact lenses increases your risk for eye infection and vision problems. To keep your eyes healthy, follow safety guidelines and report any eye pain to your ophthalmologist.
Written by Natan Rosenfeld
