Contact lenses and sleeping

I've recently (i.e. today) started wearing contact lenses.

After the initial problems getting them in and out (my eyes ended up pretty red from all the poking and prodding) I had a thought.

Is it safe to wear contact lenses if you sleep for say a couple of hours? The problem is that I tend to sleep pretty frequently and it's a lot easier to take my glasses off before I sleep than it is to take my contacts out.

They are soft monthly disposable lenses. Should I take them out or leave them in? Also, how long will it take before I adjust to wearing these things? I'm experiencing very slight double-vision when I read text up close, which doesn't seem right, but I'm hoping it will go away.

Reply 1

cowsgoquack

16

It's safe. You can sleep with them in over-night (I have done drunk a few times) and it's not too much of a problem. Your eyes just feel like they're covered in sludge in the morning, and it's not recommender.

As an aside, what's worse is getting back drunk, taking out your contact lenses. Then forgetting that you've taken them out and trying for half an hour to remove the surface of your eyes.

Reply 2

munn

16

you'll be fine i put my contacts in on friday morning at t in the park (without a mirror took about 20 minutes ******* hell) and because it took so long didn't take them back out until monday morning.
strangely if i go to bed with them in at home my eyes BURN but at T they were totally fine for some reason
anyway taking them in and out isn't that hard if you've got a mirror might as well take them out anyway, it's better for your eyes

Reply 3

Christian_j

17

To add to what CGQ said, my friend got contacts a few weeks ago - he came back drunk one night at 3am and went to bed with them in, completely forgot he had them.

Woke up in the morning about 9am, still half drunk, obviously used to wearing glasses, he called me and started screaming down the phone that his eyesight had miraculously returned - it was a true miracle!

Before I could say anything, he went quiet for a few seconds and he hung up the phone in shame :laugh:

Reply 4

Greghouse

2

Sweyn Forkbeard

I've recently (i.e. today) started wearing contact lenses.

After the initial problems getting them in and out (my eyes ended up pretty red from all the poking and prodding) I had a thought.

Is it safe to wear contact lenses if you sleep for say a couple of hours? The problem is that I tend to sleep pretty frequently and it's a lot easier to take my glasses off before I sleep than it is to take my contacts out.

They are soft monthly disposable lenses. Should I take them out or leave them in? Also, how long will it take before I adjust to wearing these things? I'm experiencing very slight double-vision when I read text up close, which doesn't seem right, but I'm hoping it will go away.

Keep persisting with the lenses, it'll get a LOT easier to get the lenses inand out.

As for the sleeping with them, short sleeps of a couple of hrs should be fine. Over night isn't good you'll need to clean and soak them asap.

Also, get some wetting drops for if your eyes get really dry ...

Reply 5

LooCee

12

cowsgoquack

As an aside, what's worse is getting back drunk, taking out your contact lenses. Then forgetting that you've taken them out and trying for half an hour to remove the surface of your eyes.

Did this the other day for the first time! I was getting really frustrated and only realised I'd taken them out cause I saw them all shriveled up on the sink! :rolleyes:

Dailies not monthlies though!

Reply 6

Summer of 69

I've recently (i.e. today) started wearing contact lenses.

After the initial problems getting them in and out (my eyes ended up pretty red from all the poking and prodding) I had a thought.

Is it safe to wear contact lenses if you sleep for say a couple of hours? The problem is that I tend to sleep pretty frequently and it's a lot easier to take my glasses off before I sleep than it is to take my contacts out.

They are soft monthly disposable lenses. Should I take them out or leave them in? Also, how long will it take before I adjust to wearing these things? I'm experiencing very slight double-vision when I read text up close, which doesn't seem right, but I'm hoping it will go away.

I was told that if i ever accidentally fell asleep in my lenses i would wake up in the worst pain ever ... it was all lies! They dont hurt at all.

However I wouldnt recommend it if youve only just started wearing them and are experiencing irritation, wait for at least a couple of weeks before you try sleeping in them.

The red irriated eyes - its normal for them to be like that at first, they should settle down in afew days, a couple of weeks at the very most.

And the double vision thing is normal too at first, i experienced it at first but its only because your eyes havent properly adjusted. Again give it a few days and it'll be fine!

So yeah in summary, follow the rules and dont sleep in them for the first couple of weeks until your eyes are totally used to them. After that feel free to nap in them!

Reply 7

Sweyn Forkbeard

OP

19

Thanks for the advice - I'll bear it all in mind. I hear that frequent sleeping with them in could starve parts of the eye of oxygen and cause long term tissue damage. Is there any substance to this?

Reply 8

Stex Bomb

4

I've never slept in them for longer than 2 hours (Coming back from reading fest on the coach!) but I don't think they are that much harm..

The only scare is that when you sleep, your eyes roll up into your sockets (like a doll) and you could wake up with one severely stuck and a serious operation needed. I don't wanna risk it..

What about showers? Do people shower with them in?

Reply 9

Oh-WOW

10

Sweyn Forkbeard

Thanks for the advice - I'll bear it all in mind. I hear that frequent sleeping with them in could starve parts of the eye of oxygen and cause long term tissue damage. Is there any substance to this?

that is true. i also know someone whos contact was stuck in their eye after sleeping with it and they had to go to hospital and all. for god sake. I once told my optician that i frequently wear my contacts about 16-17 hours a day and for he looked at me like i had 3 heads. he freaked and was like 'thats the longest in my 25 years of doing this that i've ever heard anyone wear contacts for.' I was like well er thats just a normal day. Thats 8 hours sleeping. so clearly i put them in when i get up and out when i go to bed. what do most people do? also i wear them quite a bit longer than that sometines. but personally i think sleeping in them now and again is fine. though i find they are always really blurry and irritated when i wake up.

Reply 10

Oh-WOW

10

Stex Bomb

I've never slept in them for longer than 2 hours (Coming back from reading fest on the coach!) but I don't think they are that much harm..

The only scare is that when you sleep, your eyes roll up into your sockets (like a doll) and you could wake up with one severely stuck and a serious operation needed. I don't wanna risk it..

What about showers? Do people shower with them in?

i do sometimes. but i think they go blurry and have been known to fall out and down the plughole a few times

Reply 11

Stex Bomb

4

Oh-WOW

i do sometimes. but i think they go blurry and have been known to fall out and down the plughole a few times

Hmm apparently you shouldn't due to infection but I still do it, just cos its convinient!

The only time one has fell out in water is playing water polo! :biggrin:

Reply 12

Oh-WOW

10

I get infections alot. Thats prob why. I haven't been wearing them much atm actually. mainly just can't be bothered with them anymore. Glasses may look **** but they're so much easier to wear.

Reply 13

Clubber Lang

15

the NHS recommends you dont sleep in them unless advised by your optician.

Reply 14

JW92

18

Sweyn Forkbeard

Thanks for the advice - I'll bear it all in mind. I hear that frequent sleeping with them in could starve parts of the eye of oxygen and cause long term tissue damage. Is there any substance to this?

Yes, this is true. Contact lenses form a barrier between your eye and the air drastically reducing the flow of oxygen and closing your eyes when your asleep reduces this further. I overwore my contact lenses and to compensate for the oxygen starvation, blood vessels grew into my cornea. I had to reduce my wear drastically. The vessels that formed have now emptied, but my optician said if I had have continued the way I was going those blood vessels could've grown straight across my pupil. Really scary stuff, so my advice would be - take 'em out, it only takes a minute!

Reply 15

mollymustard

14

Sweyn Forkbeard

Thanks for the advice - I'll bear it all in mind. I hear that frequent sleeping with them in could starve parts of the eye of oxygen and cause long term tissue damage. Is there any substance to this?

Yes, as others have said this is true. This can also happen from wearing your lenses excessively too. I've had problems with some of the blood vessels in my eyes since I started wearing my lenses very frequently.

You can get types of lenses that are said to let in more oxygen to the eye though.

Reply 16

Peachykeen09

12

I've done it before but only for a few hours. I'm too paranoid/scared that it'll get stuck and that I'll end up having to get surgery!

Reply 17

generic hybrid

17

I have slept in mine occasionally if I crash at a friend's after a night out but my eyes felt incredibly grimy the next morning. I wouldn't make a habit of it if I were you. Why not just wear contacts before the nap and then bin them before the nap and put the glasses on after? Or the other way around? You don't have to only wear one or the other for the entire day.

Contact lenses and sleeping

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