| Contact Lens Safety: How wearing lenses too long can cause invisible damage |
|
Question Answer
Two main factors that contribute to how long you can wear your lenses, both daily and over the long term, are how well they breathe and how much they like to collect stuff. Your eyes need oxygen to stay healthy. Contact lenses are made of different kinds of materials that allow differing amounts of oxygen to get through. This makes certain types of lenses acceptable for sleeping. You may wonder why it matters how much oxygen your eyes get if they’re closed anyway. Actually, the outermost portion of the cornea (the clear dome covering the colored part and pupil) gets much of its oxygen in dissolved form from the tears! Contact lenses can block this process. Some materials are also more prone to deposits, such as proteins and lipids, which are normal components of our tears. If they build up on the lens, they can cause problems, including infection. (Besides, nobody wants to look through a dirty window.)
People who overwear their lenses are often not aware of changes that may be occurring on their eyes because you can’t see them without a microscope. They may only finally visit their eye-care professional after a problem has advanced to the point of causing severe pain or vision loss. It’s important to have your lenses evaluated routinely to be sure the wearing schedule is working well for your eyes and that your corneas remain healthy. At these visits, your provider can also offer new materials or solutions as they’re developed. Last updated and/or approved: April 2010. Original article appeared in summer 2007 former print magazine. Bio current as of summer 2007. This article is not meant as individual advice. Please see our disclaimer. YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
Bookmark
Email This
Trackback(0)
Comments (8)
  written by eye doctor in austin , August 31, 2010 Thanks for the article - my eyes often got irritated because I had allergies so I was doing everything I could to make them feel better and assumed it was my contact lenses. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by contacts austin , June 29, 2010 I used to have bad problems with allergies and my contacts. I would always leave mine in for too long and they would really irritate my eyes. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by Name Brand Contact Lens , May 30, 2010 I don't think so!! Only the thing is do not use contacts longer than prescribed and you will not have problem at all. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by kim , March 07, 2010 ive been wearing my contacts for aproximatly 2 months and theres times when i cant see like i used to before with my contacts , so it does affect somehow your eyes . but remember everyone is different. report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by Miles PRESS , July 31, 2009 Wearing the contacts 4 days longer won't make a huge difference if you are experiencing no problems such as redness or mucus discharge or decrease in vision. It is important to have a back up pair of glasses anyway as well as Don't wait till the last minute to order your new contacts or get a contact lens exam report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
 written by Leanne , January 02, 2009 What if I'm waiting for my new set of contacts to come in and I wear my disposable contacts a few days (4 at the most) longer than prescribed? report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
written by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H. , December 08, 2008 See your health-care provider. It may be under the upper lid and difficult for you to remove. In general that sort of thing could scratch your cornea and cause discomfort. Also any foreign body, including part of a contact, could eventually cause infection. thanks for the comment report abuse
vote down
vote up
Votes: +0
Write comment
|
by Louise A. Sclafani, O.D., F.A.A.O.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
