Is it possible to sleep in contact lenses at night and during the day. Daily contact lenses: safe, simple, convenient Can I sleep in lenses for 2 hours

In this article, we will look at how to properly wear daily and disposable lenses.

Lenses have become very popular among people with poor eyesight (by the way, not only, because colored lenses are no less in demand). And this is not surprising - they are much more convenient than glasses (although the latter add some zest to the image).

But the procedure for putting on and taking off lenses requires some skills and a certain amount of time. And with the last factor, sometimes small difficulties arise when you come in the evening exhausted after work. Therefore, let's delve into the topic in more detail - is it possible to sleep in lenses, and what the consequences may be.

Is it possible to sleep in disposable, one-day contact lenses day and night, just one night, what will happen?

It's no secret that sleeping in lenses is very harmful. This cannot be called their disadvantage, but sometimes it becomes very problematic. No matter how comfortable they are, they must be removed without fail before going to bed. But what about daytime sleep or in the situation when you decide to stay overnight at a party. You can find many examples when there was no opportunity or desire to remove lenses.

IMPORTANT: There are two types of lenses - from hard (the main component is polymethyl methacrylate) and soft material. It is forbidden to sleep in hard lenses even during the day for 1-2 hours. Soft lenses are made of helium or silicone, so they allow not only long-term wear, but sleep in them.

But what about daily lenses? First, let's look at them Benefits:

Yes, they also belong to soft lenses, which means they pass air better (compared to hard counterparts).
Moreover, they are much thinner than other options. This means that they are not so noticeable to others (especially those who are a little embarrassed by their poor eyesight will appreciate it) and are less felt in the eye. Yes, some representatives are completely uncomfortable wearing lenses, because this is a foreign object in the eye that causes discomfort.
- Keep in mind! If, while wearing lenses, you experience a constant feeling of something superfluous, burning or even rubbing, then immediately remove the lenses and inform the optometrist about this.
They are considered the most hygienic. Everyone is familiar with the situation with solutions and containers for lenses, which you have to constantly carry with you. One-day lenses put on, and in the evening took off and threw away.
- You get rid of the need for solutions and containers. And you don’t fill your head, and you free the bag.
- No matter how thoroughly you do not wash your hands and do not follow the hygiene of all objects, disposable lenses still win in comparison. You put on sterile lenses, both today and tomorrow (because each time you open a new pair).
Disposable lenses are relatively affordable. At least recently (and yes, we are talking more about large cities). By the way, now there are even vending machines with such lenses as with bars or drinks. Very convenient, because you do not need to go to a special store. True, you need to know exactly what value “+” or “-” the lenses should be with.

As for diversity or economy, there is not much benefit here. More precisely, it is generally equivalent to conventional lenses. True, if you also consider solutions, containers or replacement in case of damage or loss, then disposable lenses win.
These are perfect for beginners. Not only do you feel them differently, but at first you need to get the hang of putting them on or taking them off. And in case of damage, just take a new pair.

Can you sleep in them? It seems that all lenses are made from the same material (in this case, the similarity is specifically with soft lenses). But there is still a difference, mainly density and oxygen permeability.

IMPORTANT: Daily lenses are very thin and are not suitable for overnight storage in a container. They simply deteriorate or lose their optical power.

In no case should you sleep in lenses at night. Disposable lenses can lead to swelling of the eye and cornea. Moreover, if you sleep in them for a long time, then the lens itself may even stick to the cornea.
- Yes, there are lens companies that allow sleeping and wearing lenses for several days (the maximum period is a month). But! All ophthalmologists will shout with one voice (in the truest sense of the word) that this is simply unacceptable and insanely harmful to the eyes. It doesn't matter what lenses you have eyes should rest at night!
Moreover, during sleep, the eyes (and with them the lenses) do not receive the necessary moisture. After all, it occurs only in the process of blinking. Therefore, prolonged sleep, even during the day, can harm your eyes.
But if you want sleep 2-3 hours and not every day, then one-day lenses will easily transfer it. Opinions differ on this issue, to be honest.
- Some claim that they could even sleep through the night and did not receive any negative consequences. But you should not rely on the advice of a friend, in this matter only one thing can be said - the principle of the lottery operates.
- And there are also such representatives to whom even a small dream lasting 15 minutes brought a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, do not take risks once again and always pay attention to your well-being.

And what could be the consequences:

We have already touched a little on the first negative effect of sleeping in lenses - dryness of the cornea. Yes, at night the eyes do not receive the moisture that occurs in the process of blinking. Moreover, a one-day lens (yes, in principle, any other) further exacerbates this situation.
- Those who sleep in lenses or wear them longer than the allotted time are familiar with the feeling of “sand in the eyes”. This is a sign of dryness of the cornea.
In addition, oxygen metabolism also deteriorates. And our eyes need it just like other organs. The lens acts like a film. And over a long time, the ability to pass oxygen deteriorates. Moreover, it will serve as a catalyst for the emergence of infectious diseases.

IMPORTANT: Wear lenses (any) no more than 12 hours. This time includes the duration of sleep. By the way, ideally, and completely limit the time to 10 hours.

The next reason to stop sleeping in lenses is the accumulation of protein deposits and other contaminants in the eye. It's no secret that dust and other deposits accumulate during the day. By the way, blinking helps in such a situation. But the film in the form of a lens contributes to their stagnation. That is, they remain in the eyes and on the lens itself. And this will negatively affect both the health of the eyes and the suitability of the lens (that is, it will lose its properties faster).
Not many people know about corneal keratitis (especially ulcerative keratitis), but sleeping in lenses increases the chances of catching such a disease by almost 10 times. And if you also run this ailment, then visual impairment and the appearance of fear of light are possible. In principle, a decrease in vision and inflammatory processes serve as a signal of the disease.
The lack of oxygen negatively affects the condition of the cornea, but carbon dioxide (which accumulates) also contributes to the formation of a favorable environment for microbes.

Why you can't sleep with disposable, daily contact lenses: Lian Kao's experience

The story that happened to the Taiwanese girl spread all over the Internet and horrified the whole world. In the literal and figurative sense of the word! On the one hand, the girl is very sorry, but on the other hand, you understand that the fault lies entirely with her. Yes, we are all not without sin. And everyone who wears lenses at least once made such an oversight as going to bed in them (let's just be frank).

This is the result of such laziness and led the girl to blindness. No, if you slept once or twice at night in lenses (even disposable ones), then nothing bad will happen. But Lian Kao did not remove the lenses for 6 months.
- To be honest, after sleep, a burning sensation and discomfort begin so much that you want to quickly get rid of a foreign object in the eye. Perhaps the girl simply did not attach importance to the signals of the body. Yes, every body reacts differently. Some, for example, note that after sleep they did not notice any discomfort.
But common sense always prevails. After all, we all know (even those who do not have vision problems) that eyes should rest! A question arises to which there is no answer - the girl did not understand the seriousness of such consequences or was so lazy to remove them.
The girl was diagnosed acanthamoeba caratite. Its causative agent is considered to be unicellular bacteria - Acanthamoeba (Acanthamoeba). And over the course of six months, a lot of them accumulated both on the cornea and on the lenses themselves. And, in general, it’s hard to even imagine how much all sorts of nastiness (including dust and protein deposits) has accumulated over such a period. After all, lenses need to be taken care of for this reason as well, in order to clean and disinfect them. And one-day ones should be thrown away altogether.
- By the way, favorable conditions for such bacteria is water. The girl not only bathed constantly in lenses, but also visited the pool. Now imagine a picture of what “clean” water is there. And it's no secret that public bathing areas are also treated with various chemicals.
- And I also want to highlight that after applying makeup, it needs to be washed off. We doubt that the young girl did not resort to cosmetics. Even if she washed off her makeup on time, its particles again fell on the lenses. No matter how carefully you clean my eyes and do not wipe them with special means, particles of “garbage” (let's call it that) get into our eyes. Then they will come out naturally, but the lenses interfered with this, clogging both themselves and the eye.
Also, one fact is a little confusing - this is the time and symptoms. Look, acanthamoeba kartitis is the last stage. There are four stages of the disease in total:
- superficial epithelial caratitis
- followed by a point stage
- after it comes stromal annular caratitis
- ulcerative caratitis, as the final stage

Moreover, all stages of the disease are characterized by accompanying symptoms that are constantly growing. It all starts with a banal redness, and develops into severe pain in the eyeball itself. There is also a decrease or complete loss of vision. In addition, photophobia develops, and the sensation of a foreign body, which prevents even blinking.
Therefore, it becomes incomprehensible how it was possible not to notice the onset of the disease in time. But there are some pitfalls as well. the disease is very insidious. Not everyone starts showing symptoms early or on time. The girl, unfortunately, belonged to that group of people when medicine became helpless. Yes, the disease can develop for several years and does not manifest itself.

IMPORTANT: Therefore, do not wait for any signals. Make it a strict rule for yourself - to give your eyes a rest from the lenses. And you need to do this more than once every six months. Ideally, this should be done every night. Although there are lenses (we will return to them below), when you can even wear them for several days or a whole month without taking them off.

What else I want to add - the girl is very young. She's only 23 years old, but bacteria just " ate" her eyeballs. This is not an exaggeration! By the way, this disease is relatively rare.
And now a note of drama - The girl was wearing disposable lenses! We have already said that they are very thin and, when worn for a long time, they simply begin to break down, creating all the conditions for the development of microorganisms and bacteria.
And the most deplorable thing in such a story - it's irrevocable. This disease has no cure at all. His only treatment is to constantly moisten the eyeball with drops. And in such a severe case, only surgical intervention should be used. That is, a donor cornea transplant.

Let such a bitter experience be the first and last in history. We can only draw the right conclusion - always remove the lenses at night. Do not go to public pools in lenses! And always clean them. There is nothing to say about disposable lenses at all - they need to be thrown away after one day of use!

I forgot to take off the lenses at night, my eyes are red, the veil in my eyes: what to do?

Anything can happen in life - I forgot, I spontaneously stayed at a party, but there was no container and solution at hand. By the way, about such emergency situations - make it a rule to have the necessary devices at hand. Today, there are even compact miniature powder boxes (they just look a lot like them), which contain the container itself and a small bottle of solution. That's right, take note.

But what to do if you accidentally fell asleep in the lenses:

The first and foremost rule is not to panic. Nothing fatal happened and you will not lose your sight. Naturally, we are talking about one night, and not six months, as in the previous example. After all, fear and negative thoughts in the head often create fictitious symptoms.
- No, we are not saying that there will be no consequences. Simply, sometimes, drawing scary pictures in our heads, we begin to look for frightening signs in ourselves.
Be sure to remove your lenses immediately after sleeping. Let's go wash, wash your hands well and take off your little helpers. By the way, everyone is aware of one important rule - clean hands. But we still remind (remember the bitter experience of a Taiwanese girl) dirty hands, even in the process of removing lenses, can lead to an infection and cause, for example, conjunctivitis.
- On a note! If you have a situation where there is nowhere to wash your hands, and the lenses need to be removed, then use at least wet wipes. But this is only in extreme cases.
Often the consequences are that the eyes (or one eye) become red, there is a burning sensation and even itching. Also, a veil may appear on the eyes or a decrease in visual acuity occurs (even with lenses or glasses). Moisturizing drops will come to the rescue.

If you are worried about the deterioration of vision, then, as a rule, after one night it will recover after a while. But it doesn’t hurt to see an ophthalmologist (especially if the eye is swollen or conjunctivitis has appeared, for example). He will not only diagnose the eye, but also prescribe the right treatment.
Give at least a day (and preferably a few) to rest your eyes from the lenses. Yes, don't wear them at all. If you can't do without them, then go for glasses.
It often happens that the lenses are stuck to the cornea itself. In such a situation, do not try to remove them by force. Thus, you can damage the cornea. Drop your eyes and try to repeat the procedure again.

Of course, everyone can have an individual reaction. After all, it all depends on the sensitivity and susceptibility of our eyes. But do not rely on random luck, and try to avoid such situations.

A few tips for emergencies:

For example, you stayed overnight away from home. If you can go without lenses the next day, then take them off without hesitation. And place the lenses in cups of water. Just do not try to put them on in the morning. After such a rooming house, the lenses need to be “marinated” in the solution for several hours so that they are thoroughly cleaned.
If you can’t even get home without lenses, then remove them as soon as possible, be sure to moisturize your eyes and let them rest for a day.

What contact lenses can you sleep in? There is an opinion that there are lenses in which you can even sleep. Let us immediately recall that one-day lenses do not concern this aspect in any way. And it's true - not so long ago (comparatively) there were lenses in which you can sleep.

Silicone - hydrogel lenses can be worn from 6 days to 30(that is, a whole month).
And all thanks to the fact that silicone allows the cornea to receive the necessary oxygen as much as possible. While the hydrogel contributes to the excellent moisturizing of the eye.
By the way, for comparison, ordinary soft hydrogel lenses have a throughput of up to 80 Dk / t units, but silicone-hydrogel lenses have almost doubled this value - 100-160 units.
Of course, the manufacturer plays an important role. And in this matter, price is directly related to quality. Therefore, do not save on your vision and eye health. By the way, the interval of wearing lenses also depends on the price.
But! Doctors do not recommend much abuse even of such a product. Again, at night, the eyes should rest. But if you plan on spending the night wearing your lenses, at least take them off and rinse with a solution. Then you can wear it for the night.
By the way, even after such wonderful lenses, in the morning you need to moisturize your eyes by dropping drops or the same lens solution. And moisten the eyeball, and clean the lenses a little from keratinized accumulations.
At the first opportunity, remove even such lenses and let your eyes rest! If it is not possible to go without them for a long time, then at least refrain for 1 hour.

If we talk about companies, then the leading positions are occupied by:

"Pure Vision" and "Pure Vision2" by Bauch & Lomb (by the way, the second version is even more advanced)
"Air Optix Night&Day" by Alcon Ciba Vision
and from Cooper Vision "Biofinity" lenses

And I would also like to add a few words about colored lenses:

It is strictly forbidden to sleep in them! They are denser and pass oxygen much worse. Let us recall once again that oxygen starvation is a direct road to the development of various eye infections.
And colored lenses even during the day, without sleep Can be worn up to 8 hours. Some manufacturers allow the number 10. But this is the maximum value.

Video: How to use disposable contact lenses?

With the advent of contact lenses (CL), life people with vision problems became more comfortable.

Along with progress stepping forward, people's demands are also growing: now most want lenses to be worn day and night. However, the mode of wearing is strictly individual.

Features of contact lenses

Sometimes people who wear contact lenses stop taking them off at night. Some are simply too lazy to do it, while others simply forget. Respectively, an increase in eye diseases.

In order not to harm the health of customers and not to lose them, ophthalmological companies began to invent various types of CL, which can be worn almost without removing.

Hard daywear made of polymethyl methacrylate. Why can't you sleep in them?

They can wear continuously for 12 hours. Sleeping in such lenses is prohibited for several reasons. First, they call oxygen deprivation of the cornea. It is no secret that the eyes breathe, and therefore they need oxygen for normal blood circulation.

If any foreign body (including a lens) appears on the surface of the cornea, oxygen access is significantly reduced, which is not very good. At night, oxygen enters the eyes even harder, as they are closed. Secondly, polymethyl methacrylate products can adhere to the surface of the cornea.

Rigid gas permeable

They pass air well, and therefore oxygen starvation will not occur. At the same time, they, like other rigid CRs, can only be used while awake during the day, but you can’t sleep in them.

Photo 1. A pair of hard contact lenses. This type of optics is intended for daytime wear only.

Silicone hydrogels: is it possible not to take them off for one night

Silicone hydrogel contact optics designed for long continuous wear ( within 30 days). The material from which the products are made will not lead to oxygen starvation of the eye, as it passes air remarkably.

Many manufacturers claim that you can sleep in silicone hydrogel contact products at night without compromising your health. Despite this, ophthalmologists still advise not to be lazy and take them off at night.

Can you sleep in them for a short time during the day (1-2 hours).

Concerning night sleep, then this can be allowed once, as an exception, for example, after a party or a hard day's work.

Soft hydrogel

One of the oldest types of CL, one might say, the ancestors. Only 30% oxygen permeable so you can't sleep in them. In addition, with prolonged wear, a protein-lipid coating is deposited on the surface of hydrogels, which is a breeding ground for bacteria.

Important! If you have to spend the night and sleep in lenses, it is better to find a moment in advance and take them off for a while, placing them in a solution, and then put them on again. It is impossible to prescribe yourself for a long continuous wearing of silicone hydrogel contact optics - first you need to consult a specialist.

Orthokeratological

In such products, you can and even need to sleep at night. Although they belong to the class of rigid, but used to temporarily correct myopia so they should be worn at night. This type of product corrects the thickness and shape of the cornea, and accordingly, its optical power also changes.

Photo 2. Scheme of the principle of operation of orthokeratological contact lenses. Products correct the shape of the cornea.

Orthokeratological CL 100% breathable so that the eyes will not experience a lack of oxygen.

Attention! Orthokeratological lenses are selected and manufactured individually. They have contraindications, specific features of use, therefore don't try to pick them up yourself.- can be harmful.

Is it possible to doze off during the day in contact optics?

Another important question - is it possible to sleep in contact lenses during the day? For example, take a nap in public transport on the way to work. On this issue, experts are unanimous - if this happens rarely, then nothing terrible will happen. However, frequent such incidents can lead to serious consequences. If you sleep in contact products during the day, you should always have moisturizing drops on hand, which should be instilled immediately after waking up.

What happens if you sleep in colored or regular lenses all the time

Sleeping in lenses that are not designed for this can be dangerous for the visual organs. If the eyes are constantly experiencing a lack of oxygen, this will lead to corneal edema, which is the first cause of erosion, in which the inside of the eye can get 7 times more bacteria.

In order for the eyes to fully rest, before going to bed, CL you need to remove and do not forget to put it in a special container with a solution. Otherwise, by the morning they will dry out, and you will have to buy a new pair.

Photo 3. Storage of contact optics in a special container with a disinfectant solution. Tweezers are used to remove products.

Even 15 minutes sleep in lenses that are intended only for daytime wear, cause corneal edema. And if you regularly forget to take off or change optics at night, you should prepare for serious consequences. Gradually, the condition of the visual organs will deteriorate, they will begin to hurt and become irritated. As a result, the eyes will begin to water and then you have to undergo a course of unpleasant treatment and forget about wearing lenses.

In the modern rhythm of life, every second person suffers from poor eyesight, and wearing lenses is no longer a novelty today. There are quite common cases when the means of correction remain in front of the eyes not only for quite a long time, but also accompany tired eyes during the day even during sleep. Why you can’t sleep in lenses or wear them for several days in a row, what the consequences can be, everyone should know.

Wearing corrective means today will not surprise anyone, because it is a great alternative to glasses. For the convenience of patients, ophthalmologists have invented special one-day correction tools. You no longer need any manipulations, just put them on in the morning and throw them away in the evening. But the possibility of wearing products for several days in a row should be excluded, because the special technology of their manufacture provides a high level of moisture throughout the day, and protein deposits simply do not have time to form on the lenses, which reduces the quality of the product.

And yet, many are wondering if it is possible to wear a few days. Wearing them longer than the prescribed period, there will be severe discomfort in the eyes, and it is also possible that the eyes will become inflamed. But the advantages of one-day products are quite high:

Owners of contact correction products are often interested in what will happen if they fall asleep in lenses. The answer to this question is rather ambiguous, some experts assure that nothing terrible will happen. Only blinking will become more difficult, but this problem can be solved by using special drops. Others, on the contrary, assure that sleep in such corrective products is contraindicated. And yet there are a number of reasons why you should not sleep in lenses:

Thus, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to sleep in lenses at night is obvious: such a dream will not bring health.

Features of daytime sleep

It will be useful to make out whether it is possible to sleep in lenses during the day. Falling asleep during the day is a fairly common situation, and no serious consequences should arise if sleep lasts a short time. But there are rules that must be followed:

daytime sleep should be no longer than 2-3 hours;
often sleeping in products is not recommended;
even after a few hours of sleep, dryness may occur in the eyes, it can be eliminated with moisturizing drops;
in case of severe discomfort, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

When buying ophthalmic products, do not forget about the consultation of an ophthalmologist. He, based on the parameters of vision, will give you information on the mode of wearing and tell you how much you can sleep during the day in one-day products of corrective properties.

What should be the duration of wearing corrective means is indicated on the package. If the necessary instructions are not available, you should contact an ophthalmologist. Every evening it is necessary to do the cleaning procedure, because a considerable amount of dust and bacteria accumulate on the surface of the product. Exceptions include specialized lenses that do not need to be removed for a long period of time, you can wear such products even for several days. But, before purchasing such products, it is necessary to get the advice of an ophthalmologist, because doctors are quite skeptical about them.

The period of wearing corrective means should be taken seriously. There are cases when the lenses are not removed for not just weeks, but even months, in connection with this, irreversible changes begin in the eyes. For example, a Taiwanese student was diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis. This disease can proceed without a trace for several years, and it is possible to learn about the disease only when nothing can be corrected. The girl did not remove the lenses for six months, while wearing a rather large amount of bacteria accumulated inside the product. For six months they ate her eyes, the girl went blind.

There are situations when you have to spend the night outside the house, and there is not always a container with a multi-purpose solution at hand. Actions should be the following:

Means of correction must be removed at night. When possible, it is necessary to put the products in a glass filled with water, and before wearing again, it is necessary to clean the lenses with a solution. If the night in the lenses was still inevitable and the eyes turned red and dry, it is necessary to drip the solution or eye drops on the lens itself before removing it, after which the softened lens can already be removed. With an unsoftened lens, you can injure or even tear the cornea when removed.
If vision deteriorates, you need to wait a while: as a rule, after two hours, it is restored.

If, after spending the night outside your home, your vision has not recovered, you should immediately consult a doctor. The ophthalmologist will conduct all the necessary examinations and prescribe treatment.

The human eye is a very sensitive and delicate organ. which must be treated with the utmost care. Sometimes thoughtless and frivolous actions can lead to disastrous consequences.

Attention, only TODAY!

Some users admit that sometimes they can fall asleep in contact lenses. There are a lot of reasons for this: someone, due to being busy, forgot to take off the lenses, someone decided that even if it was a couple of nights, you could sleep in them, someone did it on purpose to make sure that the warnings of ophthalmologists were justified. Can I leave my lenses on at night?

The main rule that ophthalmologists must pronounce, manufacturers write on the packaging and to which many articles on specialized sites are devoted, is that they are a medical product, and therefore their wearing must strictly comply with the recommendations of the attending physician. Wearing contact lenses, you can only walk during the time that is allowed by the manufacturer, due to the creation technology used in the manufacture of the material. Ignoring this rule is fraught with serious complications and ophthalmic diseases.

Can you sleep in contact lenses?

It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously, since it is important to understand that all contact lenses are different. They are made of various materials, each of which has a certain oxygen permeability and hydrophilicity. They affect the possible mode of wearing. Many models of lenses on the modern optics market are designed to be used for 12-14 hours. This means that they can only be worn during the daytime. Some users believe that if optical products can be used during this time, then they can safely be left in front of their eyes and during sleep, because most people usually sleep no longer than the specified time. Contrary to the expectations of many users, you still have to remove lenses at night. The fact is that the period of use, for example, 8, 12 or 14 hours, is indicated by the manufacturer only if a person wears lenses during the day. Despite the fact that modern models are made of modern materials that are characterized by high oxygen permeability and moisture content, the cornea also needs the so-called natural environment - that is, exposure to air. Consequently, at night, due to the closed eyelids, the access of oxygen to the cornea is difficult. This can lead to dry keratitis, conjunctiva or corneal epithelium damage.

Can I sleep in lenses during the day?

If you doze off during the day while wearing lenses, there should be no serious consequences. However, only if we are talking about daily lenses designed to be worn for one day. But at the same time, you should follow a few rules:

you can not sleep in them for more than two or three hours during the day;
it is not recommended to do this often;
it is advisable to use moisturizing drops, since even in a couple of hours dryness in the eyes may occur;
if you experience discomfort, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Before buying ophthalmic products, you should consult with an optometrist. He will select them based on your parameters, give advice on the mode of wearing and tell you whether it is possible to sleep during the day in one-day lenses.

What happens if you forget to remove your lenses?

Everyone can fall asleep in lenses. What should be done in the morning after you have spent the whole night in contact lenses? First you need to drip special drops like a natural tear, for example, “Vizin. Pure tear." This will help remove the optics, as they may stick to the cornea during sleep. If necessary, they can be replaced with a lens care solution. It will not be superfluous to visit an ophthalmologist to make sure that nothing threatens your vision.

What happens if you don't remove the lenses? Doctors statistics

In November last year, information appeared in online publications that the man was completely blind due to the fact that for a long time he believed that it was possible not to remove the lenses at night. The 39-year-old Manchester resident began to notice that his eyesight was getting worse, and one eye was constantly itching. At first he thought: this is a banal allergy, and did not attach any importance to this. On the advice of his wife, he turned to one of the city's ophthalmological centers, whose specialists told him in detail what would happen if the lenses were not removed at night. The results of the examination showed that the eye was infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The very wearing of lenses does not lead to this, however, a violation of the rules for their operation may well end up in a similar way. However, in the case of the American, everything turned out to be much sadder than it could be. The constant wearing of lenses at night led to the fact that Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria multiplied significantly under them, which led to a corneal ulcer. Despite the prescribed treatment, due to the progressive process, it turned out to be ineffective. Now the American is completely blind in one eye.

If this story did not seem convincing to you, then further you can read the opinions of doctors regarding what will happen if you do not remove the lenses. According to ophthalmic surgeon Carrie Assil, MD, the lack of oxygen leads to swelling, which in turn can lead to erosion, which increases the risk of bacterial entry by several times. Thomas Steinemann, another ophthalmologist at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, claims that every time a person blinks in lenses, a person rubs the eye membranes. If you leave contact lenses in front of your eyes during sleep, this will lead to the fact that the mucous membranes will coarsen, which will not only have a very negative impact on the health of the visual organs in general, but also on the quality of vision.

The cornea receives oxygen only from the air. When you put on contact lenses, the oxygen supply decreases, when you close your eyes, the oxygen becomes even less. When you sleep in lenses, the lack of oxygen can reach a critical point, according to MD and eye surgeon Kerry Assil (Kerry Assil) from the Assil Eye Institute in Los Angeles.

Due to lack of oxygen, corneal edema occurs, which can lead to erosion. And erosion increases the risk of bacterial entry by up to 7 times, according to Thomas Steinemann, MD of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. And since the eye does not have the same immunity as the rest of the body, the infection develops very quickly.

Not only that, your lenses are actually Petri dishes, says Columbia University ophthalmology professor James Auran. That is, you hold a breeding ground for bacteria right in your eye.

But if you take a nap in the lenses for 15 minutes, nothing like that will happen, right?

Dr. Assil compares trying to sleep in lenses for even 15 minutes with Russian roulette or walking through a minefield. Corneal swelling starts immediately and continues as long as your eyelids are closed. The longer you sleep in lenses, the greater the risk.

Sleeping in contact lenses harms your eyes in the long run. We blink about 3,000,000 times a year, and each time you blink with your contact lenses on, you rub the membranes of your eyes a little. The mucous membranes become rough, not getting enough lubrication. Throw in the inflammation from sleeping in your lenses and you'll see how you're making the problem worse. And if you are prone to dry eyes and allergic reactions, then sleeping in lenses can lead to their intolerance, and you will never be able to wear lenses.

Conclusion

Take 30 seconds before bed to remove your lenses, or buy only silicone hydrogel lenses that say they're suitable for 24/7 wear. If you still had to fall asleep in lenses for some reason (long flight on an airplane, unexpected overnight stay away from home), put moisturizing drops in your eyes before bedtime and always in large quantities after sleep. Before you put in drops, do not try to remove the lenses: you can scratch the cornea, which has already been damaged during sleep.