What happens if sleep with contacts

We use cookies on this website to make the e-shop work properly and for analytical purposes. More information OK. It is important to take your contact lenses out before going to bed to reduce the likelihood of an eye infection. According to Australian scientists, people who sleep with contact lenses are 6. It all depends on how long you sleep. For example, if you regularly fall asleep on the bus on the way home or like napping with contacts for about 15 to 45 minutes, you are not exposing yourself to any long-term health risk.

However, your eyes may be cloudy and dry for a short time after you wake up. If you fall asleep with your contact lenses in and they stay in your eyes all night, this could prove to be much more problematic.

In this case, the type of contact lenses you wear plays a decisive role. Silicone hydrogel lenses allow more oxygen to reach the cornea than hydrogel lenses, so your eyes may not be too affected. However, if you wear hydrogel lenses, you may experience redness, irritation and burning when you wake up. There is even a risk that you will damage your cornea in the process. Also the condition of your eyes just before you go to sleep matters. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website.

So, you accidentally fell asleep with your contact lenses in. The reason why your contacts get dry and stick to your eye overnight is simple: lenses limit the amount of oxygen and moisture that pass through to your eyes. As a one-off after a big night out, sleeping with your lenses in should only cause minor discomfort, redness or itching.

However, making a habit of it could cause much more harmful effects, like ulcers and keratitis, the inflammation of the cornea. Blinking helps us generate tears and hydrate our eyes naturally ever had a staring competition? If you really do want to sleep with contact lenses in, do it the safe way: extended wear lenses. Available in monthly or biweekly wearing patterns, this type of lenses are made of materials with higher oxygen permeability such as silicone hydrogel and can be worn for several uninterrupted days, day and night.

Problem: solved! Opening your eyes initially, you may feel a slight soreness and feel a crusty build up around the eye, particularly along the lashes and the inner corners of your eyes. Contact lenses can collect dirt and debris and harbour infections if not removed, cleaned and disinfected daily if they are monthly or 2 week contact lenses , or disposed of after a single use if they are daily lenses.

A common infection is conjunctivitis more commonly referred to as pink eye which causes a red and aggravated appearance. Conjunctivitis is not usually painful and can be easily treated with prescribed or over the counter eye drops. It usually clears up within a few days and can be caused as the result of wearing contacts incorrectly.

Many contact lens wearers are guilty of taking a nap in their contact lenses but unfortunately this can still irritate and damage your eyes. Even taking a nap in daily contact lenses is a bad idea, despite being able to throw them away at the end of the day. So, nap lovers are recommended to remove their contacts before taking a nap, even unplanned ones. Sleeping in your contact lenses for even just an hour can be detrimental to your eyes.

For some, their eyes can be more sensitive than others and react differently. It's not worth the risk when it comes to your eyes and doctors do not recommend sleeping in contact lenses period, even if it is just for an hour. If you have fallen asleep with your contact lenses in, do not immediately try to pluck them out of your eyes when you wake up. You may notice that your eyes are either very dry, or some people experience build-up and a mucus-like feeling on the eyes.

Blink a few times and give them a few moments to naturally re-moisture and have a glass of water to help rehydrate yourself. As always, make sure to wash your hands before handling your contact lenses and carefully pull the lenses out of your eyes. Dispose of the lenses if they are daily contacts and make sure to properly disinfect the lenses if they are monthly or two weekly lenses.

Soak the lenses in multi-purpose solution or peroxide solution for at least six hours to disinfect. You may also want to avoid wearing lenses for the rest of the day to allow your eyes to recover. Your eye would have likely dried out and feel tired and irritated.

If possible, wear glasses. If you wish to wear lenses overnight, you should opt for extended wear contact lenses. Extended wear lenses allow you to wear your lenses for an extended period of time, including when you are sleeping, without removing them. It is highly important that you speak to your optician about whether or not extended wear lenses are right for you and wear them under the supervision of a qualified optician.

You should also monitor the condition of your eyes each day, looking for signs and symptoms of infections or changes to the health of your eye. At any point during wearing extended wear lenses, if you feel that they have accumulated some build-up of dirt, remove them and clean them. Extended wear lenses are made from silicone hydrogel.