Your eyeballs need time to breathe in order to stay healthy and work as they should. Most contact lenses are made out of a thin plastic material that isn't very breathable. This is a problem because your cornea which is the thin, clear covering of the eyeball doesn't have blood circulating to it and needs the oxygen to keep it healthy. Wearing contact lenses will decrease the overall amount of air that your eyes get.
You also experience a decrease of oxygen to the cornea when you sleep because your eyes are shut. The combination of having contact lenses in and sleeping can critically reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to your eyes. Without proper access to oxygen, your corneas will start to get larger and swell up.
This process is called keratitis, which means that the physiology of the eye is being damaged and altered. When keratitis starts to occur, the inflammation causes small gaps to start to appear across the surface of the eyes which you don't want to happen.
The immune system that protects your body is separate from the immune system that protects your eye. This is not good news for your eyes when bacteria starts to make its way through those gaps and invades the cornea.
If bacteria are able to break through the protective layer, you are at an increased rate for a bacterial infection to the eye. What happens if you accidentally sleep with contacts in?
Dry, red and gritty eyes If you fall asleep with your contact lenses in, you may find upon waking up that your eyes are dry, red and gritty. Eye infections Contact lenses can collect dirt and debris and harbour infections if not removed, cleaned and disinfected daily if they are monthly or 2 week contact lenses , or disposed of after a single use if they are daily lenses.
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Sleeping in contact lenses is dangerous because it drastically increases your risk of eye infection. If you do fall asleep with them in, remove them as soon as you can, and let your eye recover for a day before wearing lenses again.
Practice good contact lens hygiene to protect yourself from infection. If you notice any of the signs of infection, see a doctor right away so that you can treat the problem before serious damage occurs. Some supplements may improve eye health, though more research is needed. Here's what to do for eye…. Yet no…. Glasses can help people see better, but you might not realize you need them. Proptosis is the medical term for bulging eyes.
Thyroid eye disease is the most common cause. If proptosis develops, seek immediate medical care. Keratoconus is a disorder that leads to thinning of your cornea.
It primarily affects children and young adults.
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