Contact lenses provide a more natural enhancement to your vision. They move with your eye and don’t limit your field of clear vision. However, contact lenses can’t be worn for an extended period. They need to be removed and cleaned after several hours. This is also necessary to let your eyes rest. Overwearing your contact lenses can cause several issues affecting the comfort and health of your eyes.
Contact lenses collect all manner of debris when you wear them. Regardless of how well you clean your pair, protein deposits, microorganisms and allergens could still build up on your contact lenses since they are continuously exposed to the environment and the surface of your eyeballs. The material used in your contact lenses also breaks down when they’re used beyond their expiry, which can result in damage to your eyes.
Your eyes also need to rest from the extended use of your contact lenses to stay healthy; overwearing your lenses leads to reduced oxygen to your cornea. You should always remove your contact lenses before sleeping unless they’re Ortho-k lenses.
It depends on what kind of contact lenses you wear. There are three common types of contact lenses: daily-wear, extended-wear and disposable. Daily-wear contact lenses are meant to be worn within the day and removed at night, so you can wear them for 8 to 16 hours. Extended-wear lenses can be worn for several days, but their prescribed time differs from person to person. Disposable lenses are good for 16 hours of continuous use. Beyond that, they need to be thrown away.
Get quality eye care services through Alderwood Optical & Canyon Park Vision Clinic. Our staff is friendly and approachable, and our eye doctors are skilled and experienced. We are happy to help you get the quality eye care you deserve, so don’t hesitate to contact us for an appointment. You can fill out our contact form or call us at (425) 771-8472 (Lynnwood) or (425) 485-0430 (Bothell).