“Can I wear contact lenses to sleep?” is a common question among contact lens wearers. Because up to one-third of people¹ who wear contact lenses sleep and nap while wearing contact lenses. Which is said to be far more dangerous to your eyes than you might know.

Contact lenses are not intended to be worn when sleeping. Do not believe anyone who tells you that you can wear contact lenses to sleep because it cannot be used while sleeping and should not be worn at all when sleeping. Why? Here is the reason.

1. The eyes require oxygen to function properly. When you wear contact lenses, whether daily or monthly contact lenses, your eyes receive less oxygen than usual.
2. When sleeping with contact lens, eyes are easily infected because microorganisms on the lens surface of contact lenses may induce infection, resulting in irritation and causing red eyes, corneal inflammation, corneal damage. If the condition is serious, surgery may be required to prevent eyesight loss.
3. Wearing contact lenses all night results in a lack of oxygen delivery to the cornea, resulting in dry eyes. When the eyes are dry, they are easily infected with bacteria which can lead to a severe inflammation.

If you slept with your contact lenses on and awoke the next day with abnormalities in your eyes, you should consult an optometrist or visit your eye care provider at soonest convenience.

Click here to learn more about Contact Lense Safety: What should we know before we put it on?

 Ref: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30114003/

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