Overwearing of contacts

[Time2]

I have worn contacts for over 20 years, first time I put them on they were magic, I could see and I didn't feel a thing. During my first visit I talked with a young lady about her contacts and found she wore them constantly for weeks. It wasn't long before I had the same habit. I only changed them about once a month.
Just recently I've started getting some irritation which forces me to take them out for a day or two. This morning I woke up about 5:30am and new I had a problem, I got out of bed about 6:30 and removed the contact which made it hurt even more. I could not use my computer because of light sensitivity. Finally about 9:30 I decided to go to the eye doctor. He looked it over and gave out some terms, a sterile
something, a build up of white blood cells.
Gave my an ointment and a drops and said comeback in 3 days.
I will add, this has been happening off and on for several months and it corresponds with a brand change of my contacts. I need to look into the brand change further, but it is probably my body aging and telling you can't wear your contacts for 30 days anymore.
Feeling better and can use my computer this afternoon!

 

[CardsFan]

I have been a casual wearer of contacts for over 30 years.

I have an astigmatism and need toric lenses. I can wear them outside (golf, pool, beach, etc.). But inside, low light, and particularly on the PC, no dice. Just me.

Consider yourself lucky!

 

[W2R]

I loved wearing contacts! When I was about 55 years old I got soft contacts. I loved all the peripheral vision that contacts afforded me, which glasses did not.

However, on a regular check up about a year after getting them, my optometrist at Lenscrafters said I was getting "overwearing syndrome" that was causing some abrasion of my corneas and he told me I couldn't wear contacts any more. That was so upsetting. I had no pain or other symptoms from them and could see extremely well with them. No complaints at all. I felt like a kid whose candy had just been snatched away. Yes, I was wearing them about 16 hours/day so I suppose that I was at fault, but gee.

About ten years after that I got my cataract surgery which gave me even better vision along with all that peripheral vision I had missed. My cataract surgeon/opthalmologist noticed irregularities on my corneas, so I guess the optometrist was right.

 

[braumeister]

However, on a regular check up about a year after getting them, my optometrist at Lenscrafters said I was getting "overwearing syndrome" that was causing some abrasion of my corneas and he told me I couldn't wear contacts any more..

Same thing happened to me after about 15 happy years of contacts. The doc said it was a form of conjunctivitis that was permanent, so no more contacts ever. He blamed it mainly on the fact that I w*rked in a rather dusty old building (the Pentagon).

So it was back to glasses until eventually cataract surgery fixed me up again.

 

[Janet H]

I used to wear the 30 day and change variety but a year ago changed to the 30 day, take them out at night variety. My eyes are much happier and so is my dr.
Bausch & Lomb Ultra (toric). Not surprisingly they cost more. Money well spent imo.

 

[Dtail]

I also used to wear them 30 days and then change them. My doctor said if you change your underwear daily, you are treating your a** better than your eyes.
I went to daily one use contacts, which are more expensive, but my eyes felt better.
Now as I aged through my 50's, my long distance sight got better and am able to drive in the daytime without them and play sports without them. Only wear them at night if going out.

 

[donheff]

I have worn contacts for over 20 years, first time I put them on they were magic, I could see and I didn't feel a thing. During my first visit I talked with a young lady about her contacts and found she wore them constantly for weeks. It wasn't long before I had the same habit. I only changed them about once a month.

You took them out overnight, right?

I had thirty day contacts for a while but after a couple of weeks I would let them clean overnight in an H2O2 deep cleaning solution. They felt much better after the treatment. Luckily my eyes have improved and I stopped wearing them earlier this year.

 

[Livefree]

I was told to never wear contacts overnight. I wear Acu Vue for Astigmatism for 30 days and change them out, but I remove them every night.

 

[donheff]

I was told to never wear contacts overnight. I wear Acu Vue for Astigmatism for 30 days and change them out, but I remove them every night.

Me too. I was advised that terrible problems can come from leaving them in.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife was at an eye surgeon 2 days ago. Said after cataract surgery, she'll never wear contacts again.

And they said that seldom do they ever see people of real retirement age wearing contact lens.

 

[BeanCounter62]

I wore contacts from age 19 - 35. Went from initially using daily wear to the 30 days AcuVue and didn't have any issues. I knew it was recommended to take them out daily - but didn't take them out very often during the 30 days.

Around age 35, my eyes decided they were tired of that .... the growing discomfort of wearing them - even when taken out every night - made me switch to glasses.

(Then lasik 3 years later got away from glasses - until the need for readers crept up on me).

Moral of the story - Take them out EVERY night no even if you have extended wear! (Advice my dear daughter is ignoring ... at her own peril)

 

[omni550]

I've been wearing contacts for 50 years and typically wear my lenses 18 hours a day.

I started with the original hard plastic lenses. Since 1988, I've been wearing Boston Equalens rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses. Several times during the ensuing years, the Docs have had me try soft lenses for a few weeks, but I never got the same great vision as I get with the RGPs plus the lenses would start to get cloudy and my eyes would turn red (from discomfort) after about 12 hours of wear.

Although I can wear my RGP lenses 24/7 for up to a week, I typically take them out each evening and soak them in H2O2 solution overnight. I have worn them for several 24-hour days when out backpacking & camping.

My eyes are corrected for monovision (left eye for distance, right eye for close work).

I asked my ophthalmologist for "booster" glasses (= both eyes are corrected for distance vision) to wear over my RGPs to help with night-time driving and other low-light (theater, etc.) situations. These are a big help.

I also take high-grade cod liver oil daily. I've heard that the retinol in it helps with eye lubrication.

My doc says I have some slight evidence of cataracts but will likely not need surgery until I'm in my 80s. She suspects that my wearing of contact lenses for decades has helped block the UV rays from causing the typical clouding of the clear lenses of my eyes.

omni

 

[FlaGator]

Interesting to see the range of experiences.

I've been wearing extended wear lenses for 20+ years. They go in, come out about 2 weeks later for an overnight clean/disinfect, then back in for another 2 weeks.

I can tell when they have been in "too long" - vision a bit cloudy and not as crisp up close.

All that, and I've never had an infection or eye damage, even temporary.

I'll call it good fortunate

 

[f35phixer]

Really is no need to wear overnight !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Worn forever, take them out at night, change every two weeks....

 

[donheff]

I wore contact lenses for 20 years and only accidentally wore them overnight a couple of times, When I did my eyes got irritated. This discussion prompted me to check with Dr. Google on whether it is safe to wear extended wear lenses night after night. Seems like they are approved for 24/7 use but largely discouraged. Lots of authorities point to increased risk of infection and even the vascular overgrowth that prolonged wearing of earlier lenses provoked. FDA and CDC recommended removing them periodically and cleaning them overnight. If I ever go back to wearing them I will stick to removing them every night.

I would go with daily lenses but they are too thin and get lost in the corner of my eye (a huge PITA). I searched long and hard to finally find a 30 day lens that was thick enough to stay put but still comfortable to wear. Even two week lenses got lost in my eye.

 

[chris2008]

I am on soft contacts since almost 50 years. Since 15 years I use 30 day disposable lenses.
But I take them out every night. It just does not feel good to sleep with them - even for an afternoon nap. My eye doc is happy with my eyes so far.
Eyes are too precious to mess around with.

 

[Time2]

OP here, ya, I guess it finally caught up with me. I'm fine today, no irritation. I see the doc Fri, he will tell me how things look then.
It's the eye that has amblyopia and does not coordinate well with my good eye. I was explaining to the doc that I think it's a brain thing, he said it is, I don't usually tell that to my patients, but you figured it out.
I have a set of loops, but I only use one eye through them, can't make the other eye work. I once went for a drivers eye test, read the chart in the machine, then she said other eye, I said nothing there! She said there is something there, I closed my good eye and there it was. I'll never make that mistake again.

 

[Walt34]

I've been wearing contacts for 40 years now, started with hard lenses at ~30 years of age then moved to soft contacts when they came out, a huge improvement for me. I wore extended wear for ~25 years but cleaned them weekly, not monthly. My eye docs gave the same analogy with underwear and I did keep that in mind, hence the caution wearing them for more than a week at a time. Since retirement I only wear them for a few hours a day a couple of days a week, just for driving. I'm farsighted in one eye and nearsighted in the other (and some people pay for that condition!) so I only need the corrective lenses when driving. I always took them out at the slightest indication of irritation and apparently that caution has saved me, I've never had the slightest bit of trouble with them. I'm 70 now and admittedly about six months overdue for an eye exam but the last time I was there he said my eyes were fine.

When I asked how much longer I can keep wearing contact lenses the doc said "When it's time you will know". Kind of sounds like the advice I got about when to retire. I might be getting close to that time with the contacts as I just don't like wearing them when I'm home, which is most of the time, it's just easier without them since I can do without the reading glasses.

 

[wallygator69]

I wore contacts from age 19 - 35. Went from initially using daily wear to the 30 days AcuVue and didn't have any issues. I knew it was recommended to take them out daily - but didn't take them out very often during the 30 days.

Around age 35, my eyes decided they were tired of that .... the growing discomfort of wearing them - even when taken out every night - made me switch to glasses.

(Then lasik 3 years later got away from glasses - until the need for readers crept up on me).

Moral of the story - Take them out EVERY night no even if you have extended wear! (Advice my dear daughter is ignoring ... at her own peril)

Exact same story here. Lasik was 25 years ago. I was 20/20 for10 years. 20/30 for 5 or 10 years. Now 20/40 ish and wear glasses for Driving. I was 20/200ish before Lasik so it was best money I ever spent..

 

[Time2]

Update from OP.
Everything has resolved, I'm trying to remember to take them out at night, but not doing it as regular as I should, When I do take them out, I may go for a day or two wearing regular glasses.