Are Contact Lenses Damaging Your Eyes?

There are many risks when wearing your contact lenses for too long. Most people tend to wear their lenses for more than 12 hours. This can actually be very bad for the eyes. Not only damage your eyes but can cause eye diseases and loss of your sight if you are not careful. Although there are some kinds of lenses you can wear for extended periods of time, Westfield Eye Doctors Dr. Amy Walden & Associates recommend you follow your prescription instructions and do not keep them in while sleeping.

Contact lenses have been around in the eye care world for almost 40 years. As years progressed, there have been many styles of lenses introduced.

Types of Contact Lenses:

• Rigid Gas Permeable Contact Lenses
• Soft Extended Wear Contacts
• Soft Bifocal Contacts
• Extended Wear GP Contact Lenses
• Disposable Contact Lenses
• Daily Disposable Contact Lenses
• Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
• Custom-Manufactured Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

All of these contact lenses are common lenses that your Westfield Eye Doctor may prescribe to you and they serve the same goal. They not only protect your eye but will improve your vision significantly. Each of them has a different amount of time that they can be worn. They should not be worn for extended periods of time.

Your optometrists should warn you about the length of time that they should be worn. But surprisingly, even with this warning, most people tend to wear them longer than they should. Dr. Amy Walden & associates want to take the time to explain why this is very dangerous to your eyesight and the effects it can have on your vision.

Dangers of Wearing Contacts For Too Long

It is extremely important to see your Westfield Eye Doctor once a year for a comprehensive exam. Many eye diseases are not visible to us or show any signs. Therefore, when you see your eye doctor the series of tests they perform can diagnosis problems that you may not even know your eyes are having.

Prolonged wear from contact lenses can prevent oxygen from getting to the eye. This can cause a disease called corneal neovascularization, which is the excessive ingrowth of blood vessels from the limbal vascular plexus into the cornea. This is caused by the deprivation of oxygen from the air. The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eyeball. This is the only body part that gets its oxygen supply directly from the air rather than from the blood.

When wearing your contact lens, this blocks some of the oxygen supply, therefore, if you wear your contact lenses more then the allotted time, you are starving your cornea of this oxygen. To make up for this lack of oxygen, the body starts to grow new blood vessels to provide the oxygen they are lacking. As a result, the blood vessels cover your eyes and almost adds a shield like opaqueness over the cornea. This is something you will not see just by looking at your eyes. But your Westfield Eye Doctor will be able to notice this with a series of tests. The best way to avoid this is to not wear your contacts longer then your optometrists prescribe.

Other effects of overuse are:

• Eye infections – redness, irritation, pink eye, soreness, swelling of the eyes
• Cataracts – Clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye, can lead to vision loss if untreated
• Keratitis -Inflammation of the cornea of the eye, can lead to vision loss if untreated
• These diseases are all preventable if people follow healthy habits and provide the proper care your eyes and lenses deserve

Westfield Eye Doctors Tips to Avoid Eye Damage From Contacts

Another way to avoid a problem with your lenses is to”listen” to your eyes. Each day you should take a good, long look at your eyes in the mirror.

Your eyes should:

• Look healthy
• Feel good
• See clearly

For Long Lasting Contacts, Be Sure To:

• Wash your hands before touching contact lenses
• Remove contacts before bed, showering or swimming
• Rinse out contacts in a disinfecting solution
• Scrub the contact lens case with lens solution, dry the case fully before closing the lids
• Replace lens cases every three months

Visit Your Westfield Eye Doctors If Your Experiencing Eye Damage From Your Contacts

All of these risks can be minimized, by removing your contact lenses before bed and being careful to follow proper techniques for cleaning and storing your lenses. These are all simple solutions that you can adjust to your daily lifestyles. For any questions or contact lens options, contact Amy Walden and Associates.