What happens if you sleep with your contact lenses in

Although very convenient for everyday use, contact lenses do require certain rules to be observed.
In particular, they must not be worn for more than a certain number of hours per day, and must be removed before going to bed.
However, it's important to know what the direct consequences of sleeping with your contact lenses in are, when it occurs.

The main effects of wearing contact lenses while sleeping

Sleeping with your contact lenses is far from insignificant and can be a mistake with serious consequences.

Both dry eyes and contact lenses

In practice, contact lenses should not be worn for more than eight to twelve hours a day, depending on the person and their level of habituation.
As a matter of fact, beyond this period, contact lenses tend to dry out and become rigid.
One reason why contact lenses should be removed at night is to avoid wearing them for too long.
In addition, closing the eyelid prevents oxygen from entering, which contributes to the contact lens drying out.
The contact lens and eyelid also form a double barrier, preventing normal oxygenation of the eye.
As a result, the eye tends to dry out during the night, a process also enhanced by the absence of blinking.

Difficulty removing contact lenses

The direct impact of this dryness of both the eye and the lens is that it is difficult to remove your visual equipment when waking up.
This is due to the fact that the hardened contact lens has difficulty sliding outwards, even more so on an unmoistened eye.
A few eye drops may then be needed to remove smoothly the contact lenses.
In this case, it is advisable to leave the contacts out for a few hours before wearing them again.

Various eye reactions

First of all, when you wake up, your vision may be blurred and indistinct.
Once the contact lenses have been removed, a number of side effects can also be observed in the eyes.
Generally speaking, after sleeping with their contact lenses in, people notice red eyes.
Strained eyes can also become itchy, irritated and even scratchy.
However, these symptoms generally disappear some time after the contact lenses are removed.

An eye infection

In the most serious cases, sleeping with your contact lenses in can lead to an eye infection.
In fact, in the absence of sufficient oxygen, the eye is more vulnerable.
If this occurs, it's best to consult your ophthalmologist to determine the best course of treatment.

Consequences depending on a number of factors

As mentioned above, it is strongly advised not to sleep without first removing your contact lenses, as this can cause some inconveniences.
However, the intensity of the ocular reaction may depend on the type of contact lenses used.
In fact, generally speaking, the outcome will be less serious with silicone lenses, as they allow more oxygen to pass through.
Similarly, the length of time contact lenses are worn before you go to sleep can have an effect on the impact on your eyes.
Contacts that have been worn all day before sleeping will be much more harmful since the eyes are already strained.
Finally, the amount of time spent sleeping with contact lenses is also important.
A simple doze for a few minutes will generally have no real effect on the eyes, apart from a slight visual blur for a brief period.
When it comes to a whole nap, the consequences are already more visible when the lenses are removed.
This will be all the more the case if contact lenses are worn overnight.
Indeed, it is in these cases that the person will suffer the main consequences mentioned above.
This explains why opticians highly recommend that you remove your contact lenses before going to bed.