Sleeping in contact lenses can cause serious harm to eyes | Read

Saima Siddiqui

Lucknow: Sleeping with contact lenses on can be dangerous and can cause serious eye infections that might lead to blindness, as per a report.

Six reports published in the journal 'Annals of Emergency Medicine' have showed that improper care or wear of contact lenses can lead to infections of the cornea like microbial keratitis.

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Harmful effects of sleeping without removing contact lenses

At some point of time you might have wondered what damage can it cause if one forgets to remove his contact lenses before going to bed? Well removing your contact lenses before going to sleep is very important otherwise it can lead to serious infections or in some cases permanent damage can be caused, according to a US medical report.

If you think napping is fine and it won't hurt or inflict any damage to your eyes, you are at serious mistake. Falling asleep or even napping with contact lenses on can raise the changes of serious health problems or permanent damage.

What activities one should avoid when wearing lenses on

-Try not to go near the fire or avoid working in the kitchen, preparing meal etc. when wearing lenses.

-Don't swim when you have your lenses on.

-Don't ride on bikes or any vehicle which is open and your eyes are in the contact of wind.

-Avoid coming into the contact of dust, try not to participate in any sport which are played in the fields, avoid dusting or cleaning dusty places etc.

-Before going to sleep or even before taking a nap remove your contact lenses.

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Three major eye illnesses caused due to wearing lenses while sleeping

There have been many medical cases registered where people suffered serious eye injuries due to improper use of contact lenses:

In one such cases of improper use of contact lenses a man kept on sleeping in contact lenses for 3-4 nights per week and swimming, causing severe eye redness and blurry vision. He was treated for bacterial and fungal microbial keratitis.

In second such case an adolescent girl who slept with her lenses on which she purchased without a prescription at a chain drug store. She developed a corneal ulcer that resulted in scarring.

The third case is of a man who wore the same lenses for two weeks, developed a perforated cornea, bacterial infection and ultimately required a transplant to save vision of his right eye.

Sleeping with lenses on, is one of the riskiest and commonly reported habits among adolescents and adults, said the lead author of the study.

What precautions one should follow, when using contact lenses

-Proper eye-care is a must to keep your eyes healthy, specially when you wear contact lenses.

-It is very important to remove your contact lens before you take a nap or proper sleep to avoid emergency visits to the eye specialist.

-Always keep your lenses clean.

-Always use the chemical solution, which comes for cleaning lenses, to clean your lenses, plain water will not be able to clean it thoroughly.

-Do not rub your eyes, as it can cause scarring in your eyes.

-Always visit an eye specialist before using a lens.

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