Is sleeping in my contacts permanently damaging my eyes?

Question

I am not the kind of person who leaves their contacts in for months or weeks at time. What I do is, I sleep in them for 1-3 days then I'll take them out and maintain them correctly for the next 3-5 days. Am I still putting my eyes at risk? And, if so, is it really serious?

Thanks for the help :)

Answer 1

Your eyes cannot  get oxygen.

Get glasses to wear late at night so you can still watch tv.

Answer 2

Yes

Answer 3

You are definately putting your eyes at risk of getting a corneal ulcer. When you sleep with your contacts in you are depriving your cornea of the oxygen it needs. Look up "corneal ulcer" and you will see some pictures that will make you never want to sleep with your contacts in again!

Answer 4

Potentially yes, contacts are placed directly on the eye, removing its ability to breath, causing the cells to corrode.

Answer 5

I'm an optometrist and yes it can damage your eyes. The effects of sleeping in your contacts are slow to show to the naked eye. By the time that it does show, it'll be too late.

Sleeping in contacts reduces the amount of oxygen going to the eyes. As a result, "neovascularization" occurs, or new vessels grow to try to obtain a better amount of oxygen.

You will notice that when you wake up your eyes feel dry and scratchy with the contacts on. That's the result of lack of oxygen going to eyes.

If you really have a bad habit of sleeping in your contacts, talk to your Optometrist and get the best contacts for you to sleep in. We don't encourage it, but we know some patients are not compliant.

Good Luck!