Sleeping with Contact lenses

Sleeping with contacts is a major dilemma of most contact lens wearer. There are times that we need to travel and often forgot to bring your contacts solution and cases. There are also times that we often sleep late or too tired to remove your contacts. Or there are time that we think that a day or a few hours of sleep will not harm us.

There are countless reasons for us to get an eye infection from wearing contacts. But most often, an infection start from sleeping in contacts. Most contact lenses wearer are ignorant or stubborn about how sleeping in contacts can harm them or blind them permanently.

Oxygen is very vital to the cornea. Oxygen is transmitted to the eye through a very delicate blood vessels by diffusing oxygen through your tears. Lack of oxygen may cause this blood vessels to appear or become visible causing irritation. This is commonly known as corneal edema.


Oxygen and Contact Lenses

Wearing contact lenses may hinder or stop the flow of oxygen into your eyes. Contact lenses are only worn with allowable time frame. A regular contacts are often remove before you exceed ten hours.

Lack of oxygen and a the damp environment of your contact lenses will attract bacteria, fungi and viruses that will definitely be harmful to your eyes. This may lead to corneal ulcer.

Wearing contact lenses during sleep may lead to dryness. If your contacts is dry it may be hard to remove in the morning. This my tore up your lenses and cause injury.


What You Should Know about Extended Wear Lenses

Extended wear lenses can transmit oxygen five times better than regular soft contacts. Extended wear can be worn continuously for 7 to 30 days. But it doesn't eliminate the risks of oxygen deprivation.

Besides wearing extended wear contact lenses for days will accumulate unwanted proteins. And become more inviting to bacteria, fungi and viruses. Most people adapt a 'flexible wear' where they only wear contact lenses to sleep or prolong the use of contacts when needed.


What is corneal Ulcer ?

Corneal ulcer is open sore or lesion in the eye. Often caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses. It can also be caused by scratches to the eye or dirt trapped with or without contacts, and chemical burns.

Symptoms of corneal ulcers:

Redness
Pain in the eye
White or yellowish discharge
Cloudy or Blurry vision
Photophobia or light sensitivity
A visible spot in the eye
Itching
Burning
Watery eyes


What is Corneal Edema?

The main cause of corneal edema is lack of oxygen. When sleeping we get less oxygen because the eyelid is closed, we also blink less making it difficult for our tears to circulate and nourish the cornea. Dry eyes and tight contact lens fitting can lead to corneal edema.

Symptoms of corneal edema includes cloudy vision, permanent dry eyes, rainbow vision, pain. Corneal edema may lead to keracotonous astigmatism that requires surgery to be corrected.

So if you are stuck in one location and forgot to bring your solution or your cases better throw them out than to take the risks. The damage can be irreversible and you never know if it will strike on the first instance. For extended wear contacts use it with extreme care and be much aware of protein deposits and the age of your contacts. You may use enzymatic cleanser for stubborn protein deposits.

Coco Contacts houses the best colored contacts. They have a infinite selections and brands to choose from. It is guaranteed safe as their colored contacts are sandwich technologic (color inside) and has the highest UV protection.

Don't Dip Your Contact Lenses On Water

People are frequently asking me if they could shower, swim with their contacts, or if they can dip it with distilled water. The answer is very obvious; it’s a big NO. But for many reasons people still do, thinking they could get away from this.

Water is not designed to clean up your contact lenses from bacteria, fungi and viruses. Worst is water may contain these elements or promote such biodiversity.

Wearing contact lenses are fashionable. But they are not cheap. And you should be aware of it. Lack of money shouldn’t be a reason for you to seek cheap recipes for a homemade saline solution. Use the proper contact solution!

One can use multipurpose solution to disinfect, clean, and store contact lenses. Saline solution can be used to clean up your contact lenses or to prepare your eyes for insertion. While hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect your lenses but must be neutralize before insertion. Once a week contact lenses users should do an enzymatic cleaning to remove protein build up.

What happen if you have a bad habit of not cleaning your lenses? Or you used distilled or tap water to store your lenses.

Your contacts create a thin biofilm. Bio is rooted from the word life. Water sustains life but not all life forms are beneficial to people. It means that your contacts will culture more bacteria and fungi. Think of your contacts as playground for bacteria.

The most dangerous life form is an amoeba called Acanthamoeba. This bacteria is present everywhere. Acanthamoeba loves water, tap, oceans, lakes and even bottled and chlorinated. It is found on your nasal passage (without causing harm to you), on air, and soil. It definitely loves dirty contact lenses!

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a disease caused by this amoeba. Most often you will need several corneal transplants to save your eye from permanent blindness. If you’re not lucky, it can make you lose your eyeball!

Most of the people afflicted with Acanthamoeba keratitis are contact lenses wearer. People who often used to dip their contacts in water and who used homemade saline solution. Or people who is so stubborn to listen to the facts.

So if you happen to be at your friend’s house and you forgot to bring your saline solution, you better run to the nearest pharmacy or throw them away. Remove your lenses before taking a bath or swimming with it. You can buy prescription goggles instead. Or if you are trying to clean up your face in school, you can use wet facial towel that is readily available in the groceries.

Wearing contact lenses is not a matter of age but of maturity. A thirteen-year-old child, who can clean up he’s room on a regular basis, is a good candidate for handling contacts. In comparison, to an adult who thinks he can get away dipping he’s contacts in water and when he has too many excuses going to a pharmacy. Now you have the facts. You make the call!

Coco Contacts houses the best theatrical colored contacts. They have a multitude of designs and brands to choose from. It is guaranteed safe as their colored contacts are sandwich technologic (color inside) and has the highest UV protection.