Many contact lenses now are daily wear; they are worn during the day and removed at night. They must be removed because otherwise they would inhibit the oxygen flow to your cornea and cause problems. The bottom line is that your eyes require time to rest and recover from wearing contacts.
But removing them at night and putting them back in every day can be a pain, and many contact wearers would rather avoid this ritual when they can. To meet this demand, contact lens manufacturers have developed a contact lens material that will allow free movement of oxygen. With these lenses you can keep your contacts in for days or weeks at a time safely.
These new contact lenses allow six times more oxygen to enter the eye than regular soft contact lenses allow through. Extended wear contact lenses are constructed using a soft, extra-permeable silicone hydrogel that will actually “breathe”; oxygen can easily reach the eye and the lenses can be left in for days on end.
Lenses like the Focus Night and Day or Acuvue 2 are approved by the FDA; follow your doctor’s instructions to be sure that you are using them safely. Unless you have extremely sensitive eyes you will find that these contacts continue to feel comfortable, even after they have been in for several days.
Tiny dust particles can build up on these lenses since they are not being cleaned on a daily basis.
If you are feeling uncomfortable sensations you should be sure to listen to your body and take immediate action. If the lenses feel uncomfortable or your eyes are becoming irritated, be sure to remove the lens and allow your eyes six to eight hours to rest and recuperate. The lenses should be thoroughly rinsed and cleaned before they are put back in. If the discomfort does not improve be sure to visit your eye doctor. Extended wear lenses are not suitable for all patients.
Their price falls somewhere in between that of daily disposables and weekly or monthly disposables. And keep in mind that you will save money on cleaning and storing solutions since you will leave them in for a week or month at a time. This savings means that the extended wear contacts can easily be the least expensive solution of all.
Contact your eye doctor for more information on extended wear contact lens if you attracted to the idea of simply leaving your contact lenses in overnight.
Now, Jack has written other articles on contacts. Be sure to check out either proclear contact lenses or sclera contact lenses!