Can You Sleep in Contact Lenses?
If you’ve ever fallen asleep while wearing contacts, you may have woken up with dry, itchy or red eyes. Symptoms like these typically indicate eye irritation or even more severe conditions like conjunctivitis, eye ulcers or scratches. It seems our eyes are trying to tell us something about sleeping in contacts! So, can you sleep in contact lenses overnight or even just for a quick nap? Let’s find out.
Visionworks is on a mission to simplify eye care. Our team explains everything you need to know about the risks of sleeping with contacts and better options for when you need contacts to take you from day to night.
Answering the Question, "Can You Sleep in Contact Lenses?"
Can you sleep in contact lenses? The short answer is no. Sleeping with contacts, even only on occasion or during short naps, puts you at a significantly higher risk for serious eye infections like keratitis, conjunctivitis, eye ulcers, corneal neovascularization and acute red eye.
Even though sleeping in contacts is harmful to the eyes, about one-third of all contact wearers have fallen asleep with contacts. Many people accidentally doze off for a nap while wearing their contacts or forget to remove them as part of their bedtime routine before falling asleep. While it may seem easy to use artificial tears to relieve dry-eye symptoms upon waking up, contact lenses could still hold bacteria, making them 6–8 times more likely to contract an infection. In short, sleeping in contact lenses is bad for your eye health and should be avoided.
Why Can’t You Sleep in Contact Lenses?
Why can’t you sleep in contact lenses—and what makes the practice so bad for your eye health? Sleeping in contact lenses can cause burning, itching, swelling, redness and general discomfort to the eyes upon waking up. Additionally, some people experience sensitivity to light, blurred vision and watery eyes after sleeping in their contact lenses. While these uncomfortable symptoms should be enough to dissuade contact wearers from sleeping in their lenses, it’s important to know that the practice leaves you susceptible to eye infections, inflammation and scratches that could result in lasting damage or even vision loss.
Infections Caused by Sleeping in Contacts
- Keratitis—Keratitis can be caused by bacteria, fungi or amoebas, all of which can result in inflammation of the cornea.
- Conjunctivitis—Also known as pink eye, conjunctivitis is an infection of the conjunctiva that covers the white part of the eyeball.
- Dry Eye—Dry-eye disease is a condition in which tears do not provide adequate lubrication for the eye and can be caused by oxygen deprivation from contact lenses.
- Eye Ulcers—Wearing your contacts frequently and for too long can cause your cornea to erupt, leading to partial vision loss.
- Corneal Neovascularization—Sleeping in contacts can cause an overgrowth of abnormal blood vessels, or corneal neovascularization, resulting in pain, redness around the cornea, watery eyes and light sensitivity.
- Acute Red Eye—Some contacts wearers experience contact lens acute red eye, or CLARE, which results in general redness from overuse or improper fit.
The chances of developing these infections increases when you sleep in your contacts and can lead to partial vision loss, blindness or damage to the structure of the eye. Why? Sleeping in contact lenses does not allow enough oxygen to reach your cornea, so it is harder for the cornea to guard itself against microorganisms that cause infections. In addition, when the cornea receives less oxygen, it's harder to regenerate new cells to repair the damage. While most people wear soft contact lenses, which allow more oxygen flow, sleeping in them still increases your chances of infection significantly, even if it’s just occasionally or during naps.
Are There Contact Lenses You Can Sleep In?
So, are there any contact lenses you can sleep in? While “night and day” and “extended wear” contacts are available on the market and approved by the FDA for wear during sleep, the CDC still recommends you do not sleep in any contact lens. Night and day contact lenses are appropriate if you have overnight flights, work night shifts, plan on going out for the evening or have any other reason you need to be up for extended periods. However, the safest practice for your eyes is to remove contact lenses before bed, properly clean them and let your eyes rest.
Rest Easy Knowing You’re Protecting Your Eyes
Adapting good eye health practices into your life is the best way to care for your overall eye health. For some, that may mean choosing between glasses or contacts. Deciding whether glasses or contacts are better for your eyes comes down to knowing your schedule, routine and habits. For example, glasses may be better for your eyes if you tend to forget to remove your contacts before bed. On the other hand, if you work occasional night shifts, you can use daily contacts and carry a pair of backup glasses to use when your eyes feel tired or dry. In fact, daily contacts are a great option for everyone who wears contacts! They are so thin; they provide great comfort and provide more airflow to your eyes than extended wear lenses. Dailies maintain their water content, staying moist all day–another reason they’re so comfortable. They have less chance to build up bacteria or protein deposits than any other kind of contact lens. On top of all that, dailies are super convenient—no more cleaning solutions or even a case!
Keep your eyes healthy. Schedule an appointment with your eye doctor at a Visionworks store near you to discuss your contact lens options and conduct your annual eye exam. We make it easy to schedule your appointments and shop for contacts online so you can get back to the important things—like a well-deserved nap.
Information received through Visionworks® content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician, or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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