When extended wear contact lenses first came onto the scene, they were looked favorably upon as a solution for those who hated the inconvenience of having to take their contact lenses out every night before going to bed. Even, today, many see them as a viable alternative to other means of improving their eyesight such as laser eye surgery or wearing glasses.
Extended wear, or soft contact lenses, were originally designed and developed to enable contact lens wearers to wear them continuously without removing them from their eyes – even at night. Before manufacturers could put these lenses on the market, however, extended wear lenses had to be approved by the FDA. And approximately thirty years ago the FDA did just that.
They first approved lenses that could be worn for two weeks without removal. Subsequently, they approved lenses that could be worn for up to a month without removal. Unfortunately, the real life experiences of many of the lens wearers shortly forced them to retract their approval. For various reasons, people who wore these lenses seemed to be at an increased risk of developing eye infections caused by the buildup of micro-organisms in their eyes.
With this in mind, if you do choose to wear extended contact lenses, there are certain precautions that you should take.
1) It is critically important that you keep your lenses clean. Many of the eye problems suffered by contact lens wearers result from them either inadequately cleaning their lenses or using improper methods to clean them. If not kept clean, the impurities can trigger eye infections and cause proteins and mucous to build up around you eyes. In fact, the condition may become so bad that you have to give up the use of your contacts permanently.
2) Even though the FDA has approved these contacts for extended wear, you should still remove them, before going to bed, if you can. Some studies have shown that those who habitually wear their extended contacts to bed are about ten times more likely to develop corneal ulcers than are those who remove them at night. Even with the improvements to extended wear contacts over the years, many physicians will still recommend that you not wear them overnight.
3) When wearing contact lenses, it is especially important that you have regular eye checkups with your physician and/or optometrist. This helps to spot early possible eye problems before they become major issues. So, make an effort to religiously see you health care practitioner at the suggested scheduled intervals.
4) Lastly, monitor the condition of your eyes closely. If you experience problems such as blurry vision, pain, red eye or reduced vision that persists for more than a day or two, take your contacts out and make an appointment to see you optometrist right away.