Some of the most common benefits you hear contact lens wearers say when asked “why do you wear contacts over glasses?” usually include the increased convenience and ‘no-glasses’ appearance. However, the benefits of wearing contacts do not come without risks, especially when the wearer is lackadaisical with their contact lens care habits.
Sleeping In Your Contact Lenses
Almost everyone has worn their contacts when sleeping at one time or another. Perhaps you were watching a TV or a movie and fell asleep half way through, or perhaps were staying over at a friends and forgot to bring your contact lens solution and case. Wearing contacts when sleeping should be avoided at all times, with the exception of contacts designed for overnight use.
Why is it important to avoid sleeping in contact lenses?
- Sleeping with contact lenses in is the primary cause of serious eye infections, such as infective corneal ulcers.
- Wearing contacts overnight forces any bacteria in our eyes to cling directly to the eye’s surface.
- When sleeping, our closed eyes provide a warm and moist environment, perfect for bacteria to grow.
- Regardless of contact lens type, the risk is present, even for contact lenses which have been approved for overnight use.
Rinsing Lenses using anything other than Contact Lens Solution
Contact Lens Solutions offer key benefits such as cleaning debris and disinfecting your contact lenses. It is absolutely critical to understand that any liquid except for the contact lens solution recommended by your Eye Doctor is dangerous to use as a substitute.
Why is it important to clean your contacts only with doctor recommended contact lens solution?
- Water, Saliva or Homemade Saline may contain numerous bacteria and should never be used as an alternate to your lens solution.
- Using substitute liquids containing bacteria substantially increases the chance of a serious eye infection.
Wearing Lenses Too Long
How long are your contact lenses good for? Two weeks, or perhaps a month? Contacts lenses are recommended for a certain amount of time for a reason. They are a medical device which has been tested in certain situations and stand up to specified use. Wearing contact lenses for longer than designed is not recommended for various reasons.
If your lenses are still feeling fine, why not keep wearing them?
- Contact Lenses break down over time, become brittle and can tear more easily as they break down.
- As Contact Lenses wear and remain in use, they reduce the eye’s ability to defend itself, which can increase the chance of infection.
Only Buying Contact Solutions on Sale
The contact lens solution recommended by your Eye Doctor was selected based on your the contact lenses you were prescribed, your compatibility with the solution and your eye history. And while we all want to save a couple bucks, the problem is that switching eye solution based on price along can lead to a number of issues.
Why stick with the solution recommended by your Eye Doctor?
- Your Contact Lens solution was chosen based on your eyes and contact lens compatibility with the solution.
- Switching lens solution may cause irritation or increased redness.
- Switching solutions frequently can increase the difficulty of diagnosing problems during an eye exam if the solution is responsible.
