How long can I wear my contact lenses for?

Question

I have encore toric lenses by coopervision. My fitter tells me that I can only wear them up to 12 hrs max. However, there were days where I wore them for up to 16hrs. Is this ok? What is the longest duration that I can wear my lenses for?? I have some days where I need to be out for a long time so more hours would be great. Please help me out!

Answer 1

My optician says it's 12 hours a day with at least one day without lenses. I usually wear them 6.30 am - 7.00pm but sometimes it's longer. I generally make sure I take them out as soon as I get home and at the weekend I just put them in when going out. A friend of mine though is okay to wear them at least 15 hours a day at least 6 days a week so it's hard to be prescriptive.

I wear monthly disposables that can be worn for the full month although I only wear them for 12 hours a day. He still says I should leave them out for a day a week. I usually do but there are some times where I need to wear them 7 days a week but I always make sure I take the necessary tests. Just be careful and listen to your eyes, if they get sore you should see a doctor.

Answer 2

optimax - ses only for 12 but my mum keeps them in for about two days....they dont wear out till then :)

Answer 3

no, it is only suitable for wearin up to max 12hrs. Would advice u to chnage over to purevision toric or o2 optix. it is better for longer hrs wearing.

Answer 4

Your optician is correct: you should wear them no longer than the recommended twelve hours.  Yeah, I know, I see patients all the time who got into the same habit; wearing the darn things a few hours longer than recommended.  Unfortunately for them, they've usually done permanent damage to their eyes by the time they realize their mistake...