What happens if I fall asleep with my contact lenses in?

Falling asleep with contact lenses in can have significant impacts on your eye health.

While modern lenses are designed to allow oxygen to pass through during daily wear, sleeping in them limits that oxygen supply, increasing the risk of complications.

This can lead to problems like corneal ulcers , a painful occurrence that, although rare, can leave scars with long-term effects on your vision.

Therefore, giving priority to eye health, we want to offer you some useful advice on how to preserve your eyesight, avoiding behaviors that could compromise it.

1. Dry eyes

As we mentioned, oxygen is vital for a healthy cornea, and by wearing lenses overnight, this precious resource is further limited, leading to potential complications.

Red eyes, itching, burning and an annoying sensation dry eyes These are signs that your eyes are trying to tell you something, and they are often related to sleeping with contact lenses.

It should be noted that the duration of sleep plays an important role. Sleeping for a few minutes may cause only a slight dryness upon awakening, but if the lenses remain in the eyes all night, the passage of oxygen is drastically reduced, increasing the risk of inflammation and prolonged tearing.

The contact lenses at night further limit the passage of air, making the situation worse. Although you may only feel a slight dryness after short naps, prolonged sleep with contact lenses can, in fact, expose your eyes to more serious problems.

2. Eye infections

The longer the lenses remain on the eyes, the more impurities from the environment or the tear film can accumulate, becoming a breeding ground for microorganisms and allergens. Sleeping with lenses, therefore, increases the risk of eye infections . Research conducted by Australian scientists even highlights a 6.5 times higher risk of corneal disease in those who frequently wear lenses at night.

Of course, a short nap with your lenses in is not as risky, but it is still important to remove them if you feel any redness or burning when you wake up. These mild symptoms can become more severe, causing blurry vision, redness, eye pain, tearing and sensitivity to light .

The most worrying consequences include the risk of serious eye infections, such as bacterial keratitis, which can lead to permanent damage to the cornea and loss of vision .

What we try to avoid are serious complications that can lead to vision loss or even blindness.

3. Conjunctivitis and keratitis

A study of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that one million contact lens users in the United States turn to eye doctors for eye infections, mainly including keratitis .

The study explains, in fact, that keratitis is one of the most common infections caused by improper use of lenses. This infection, caused by bacteria, fungi or other microbes, initially shows symptoms similar to those of conjunctivitis, such as redness and irritation, but it is much more dangerous and requires timely treatment.

Remove and disinfect the contact lenses before going to sleep it is therefore essential to prevent conjunctivitis and other eye diseases.

Also keep in mind that if you accidentally fall asleep with your lenses in, they may be drier and more difficult to remove upon awakening. In this case, it is advisable to wait a few minutes before attempting to remove them and, if necessary, use refreshing eye drops recommended by your eye doctor for moisturize the lenses .

It is essential to avoid forcing the removal. Instead, they should be left to adhere delicately to the fingertip, subsequently immersing them in a disinfectant solution.

If, after forgetting to wear them during sleep, your eyes are irritated, it is best to avoid wearing them immediately, preferring glasses. In the meantime, we recommend monitoring any symptoms such as redness or eye problems.

However, in case of persistent irritation, itching, burning or difficulty in removal, it is advisable to immediately consult an ophthalmologist for professional assistance.

Overall, since eye health is a priority, it is essential to follow these simple precautions to reduce the risk of eye infections and preserve the clarity of your vision.