Contact Wearers: Something You Might Not Know

The gift of sight is a beautiful thing. But, many people sometimes take advantage of this gift. I’m writing this to inform you and throw out some much needed advice to many contact wearers that you may be over wearing you lenses. But don’t panic right away, a lot of people are not aware and are not advised by their Eye Care Specialist. This is an overlooked issue that needs to be addressed.

I have been working in the field of optics for almost ten years now. One thing about optics is that is ever changing. Many people do not realize that over wearing your contact lenses can lead to minor infections and can cause many eye diseases along the way. So I am not here to yell at you, I’m here to educate you. In the past few months a lot of my contact patients coming in for a routine contact lens exam they end up needing to treat an eye infection due to over wearing their lenses.  Some lenses are only made to wear two weeks. Some are made to wear for a month but must be taken out every night. Some lenses are made to sleep in them and so on. The most common mistake I have noticed is patients over wearing their two week lenses for a month. And although they take them out every night, it is still made for only two weeks.

Over wearing lenses will cause protein build up and other bacterial deposits that over time can create problems for your vision. If a lens becomes filmy or hazy and cleaning the lens thoroughly does not clear it up, it may be time to dispose of the lens.  Lenses that are made for two weeks or made for a month are made for that duration of that time. Over wearing can really cause more damage then you want to deal with. Plus, if you are not wearing an extended lens made especially for sleeping, you depriving your eyes of oxygen. This in time can cause the cornea to warp. Creating another problem that your Eye Care Specialist will need to address.

I hope that this was somewhat helpful. All that I ask is that you make sure you are wearing your lenses on their proper schedule. In the long run it will help keep your eyes healthy and infection free. So check with an optician or Eye Doctor is you have any questions, or comment me if you are concerned. I will not be able to diagnose anything but I might be able to better educate you on the proper wearing schedule of the brand of contacts you wear.