Sleeping with Contacts In

When you wear contact lenses to correct your vision, you might accidentally fall asleep with them in. You may consider leaving them if you’re too tired to take them out at bedtime. At Chico Vision Care Optometry, we know how important it is to protect your eyes from infections and other problems. Our Chico, CA, optometrist provides helpful information about sleeping while wearing contacts.

Potential Eye Problems

Keeping your contacts in as you sleep can cause eye irritation and other problems. You may wake up with eyes that feel dry and look red. This discomfort can make it hard to wear your contacts during the day while you’re awake. In severe cases, you risk developing an eye infection. Some eye infection lenses cause serious problems with your vision, so ensure you see our eye doctor for treatment.

What Type of Contacts Do You Have?

Most contacts should be removed before falling asleep. The removal helps reduce the risk of eye infections lenses can cause. Soft, gas-permeable, and hard contacts may cause infection or ongoing conditions.

Some extended-wear contact lenses are designed to be worn for long periods, including overnight. However, it’s important to make sure you have the right kind of extended contacts before sleeping with them in your eyes.

Daily wear contact lenses should be taken out at bedtime. If you fall asleep with your contacts in, leave them out for the day. Wear glasses and give your eyes time to recover before you wear contacts again.

Contact Our Eye Doctor for Contact Lenses

If you have questions about your contacts or need new contact lenses, call Chico Vision Care Optometry at (530) 342-9644. Schedule an appointment with our optometrist at Chico, CA. We can evaluate your eyes and provide the right lenses to improve your vision.