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Is it Really Safe to Sleep in Your Contacts?

Posted by Optipak_Admin | September 09, 2015

Those days when you are tired beyond belief, you know the ones where all you want to do is collapse into bed right away, without performing any of your nightly rituals. Well despite how tired you may be feeling, you probably shouldn’t just forgo them. Ensuring you take care of your nightly rituals goes beyond just taking care of your personal hygiene, it can also safeguard your health. What you may be wondering, could possibly be affecting your health be skipping your nightly routine? The answer, my friends, is those contact lenses you have been wearing all day.

Contacts? How can those even possibly affect your health simply by sleeping with them on? Despite what you may be thinking, contacts can indeed have an adverse effect on your health, at least for your eyes, if left in longer than necessary, such as when you sleep in them. Below is a list of reasons why it is not really safe to sleep in your contacts.

Oxygen Depravation

Okay, so you need oxygen to survive right? Well, the same can be said for your eye, particularly with regards to the cornea. When you sleep with contacts in, then there is a barrier between the closed eyelid and the cornea. This barrier can reduce the amount of oxygen your cornea receives, or simply prevent it from receiving any altogether. Though there are some contacts that are made of materials that are more conducive to allowing oxygen to flow to your eye, it still isn’t quite worth the risk.

When you sleep, your cornea receives nourishment, in the form of lipids and other such compounds, from your tears. This becomes impossible to occur while you are sleeping since the contact doesn’t shift or move at all due to your eyes being shut when you are sleeping. You don’t experience this problem when you are awake since your eyes are open and the contacts have the freedom to flex and move, allowing more oxygen to reach your cornea.

Possibility for Infection

Your eyes can become infected by microorganisms, such as bacteria and parasites on your contacts lens. They appear on your contacts when they remain in your eye for too long without being cleaned, which allows dirt or other contagions to accumulate. Parasites can even come from water, if you try to clean your contacts with them instead of the normal cleaning solution. An infection can be extremely detrimental to your eyesight, especially when certain parts of your eye become infected. It can even lead to blindness if not taken seriously and if no medical attention occurs.

So, do your eyes a favor and take the couple extra minutes that is necessary to properly clean and store your contacts before you retire to bed for the night. But what if you don’t have any proper place to store your contacts? Well, you can visit a website like Optipak. Optipak designs and manufactures contact lens. They even provide custom options if necessary. Browse their options today and find the case to protect and preserve your contacts!