The eyes are our most complex organ after the brain, and their care is essential. Dr Redfern warns that sleeping with contact lenses can lead to severe infections, including corneal ulcers, which can seriously affect vision.
Complex organs of the human body, the eyes are responsible for about 80% of learning. Thus, it is very important to take care of our eyes.
“Sleeping with contact lenses in your eyes is bad. It is very bad. don’t do it” warns Dr. Redfern. She adds that this is true even for naps. The reason? Wearing contact lenses while you sleep can lead to the development of a corneal ulcer, an infection on the part of the eye covered by the lens, according to Huffpost.
“It’s like a game of Russian roulette.
It won’t happen every time, but when it does, it’s terrible,” says Dr. Amanda Redfern, ophthalmologist and assistant professor at Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute.
“It can be so serious that, in very serious cases, you can lose your eyeball.”, adds the ophthalmologist.
In less severe cases, a corneal scar can permanently affect vision, requiring a corneal transplant for correction.
Activities that may contaminate contact lenses
Dr. Redfern stresses the importance of avoiding activities that can compromise contact lenses, including swimming in pools or lakes while wearing contact lenses or even showering with them.
“The problem with contact lenses is that bacteria will get between the lens and the cornea and you can get infected and then have all the complications I talked about. We generally do not agree with anything that exposes the eye to something unsterile“, explained the doctor.
Also, you should not use tap water to rinse or store your lenses.
If you’re on vacation and forgot your lens solution, Dr. Redfern doesn’t recommend using water to store your contact lenses or sleeping with them: “Both are terrible options. I’d rather you ditch the contacts and walk around with a little blurry vision on the weekend.”
What to do to protect our eyes
To maintain eye health, Dr. Redfern suggests regular use of safety glasses.
“I always wear goggles if I’m doing a home project where I’m hammering, sawing – anything where something might fly into my eyes. I do this because I spend half my time seeing patients in hospitals and the trauma I see is downright insane.“, emphasized the ophthalmologist.
If you have something stuck in your eye, don’t try to get it out yourself.
“Uncontrolled ejection (could) cause the inner contents of the eye to come out with it,” warns Dr. Redfern. Instead, cover your eye and see a doctor immediately.
Plus, the eye doctor busts another eye care myth: reading in the dark doesn’t ruin your vision.
