The transition from glasses to contact lenses brings benefits, such as better peripheral vision. However, unlike glasses, lenses cannot be easily put on and taken off or placed on the bedside table in the evening before bedtime. Their use requires some precautions.
To avoid eye infections it is, first of all, important to avoid the most common mistakes that those who use contact lenses make, such as going to sleep without taking them off or wearing them after the expiration date.
Past studies have shown that more than 99% of contact lens users are guilty of at least risky behavior, which can lay the foundation for serious eye infections. These behaviors are so common because, before something bad happens, people generally manage to get away with it many times without problems.
Several manufacturers claim that some lenses, worn at night, are safer than others and refer to them with the expression “continuous use” (or, in English, ” extended wear “). Users thus fall into the habit of wearing them every night and start waking up with dry eyes and blurred vision.
However, a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 25% of eye infections are due to behaviors that can be changed, “which include going to sleep with lenses or wearing them for long periods of time, while some research identifies among the risk factors some problems of the lenses themselves, such as wear and tear “.
Continued use deprives the cornea, or the outermost layer of the eye, which is in contact with the lenses, of oxygen. Wearing them at night can easily lead to irritation and discomfort and, in severe cases, to develop a serious infection. sleeping with lenses is probably the main cause of microbial keratitis .
Warning: it is not good to take a shower or swim wearing lenses
Swimming and showering with your lenses on may seem like a harmless habit, but in reality, most water sources can cause eye irritation .
In a recent report by the CDC ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ), the researchers explained that the lenses are subject to absorption and can swell due to impurities and microorganisms contained in tap water, deforming completely. In addition, many waters contain the Acanthamoeba microorganism , which can cause extremely painful eye infection and potentially cause blindness .