An Extended Wear Contact Lens

Unlike the daily wear contact lens, an extended wear contact lens may be worn for longer periods of time. These extended wear contact lenses are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be worn without removal for up to seven days.

New innovations to extended wear are being developed. Silicone hydrogel is a new type of soft contact lens material that permits more air to go to the cornea; the FDA approved this to be worn up to a month without removal. This type of lens is called the continuous wear”.

At first, many eye care practitioners frown on the use of extended wear contact lens because the incidence of eye infections are greater on those who wore them overnight. It poses higher risks because the eyes might get infection from the organisms that are trapped on the lenses. As we all know, most micro organisms thrive in warm and moist environment, and the cornea is the best place as it lacks oxygen whenever a contact lens is worn. If left untreated, it can cause simple discomfort as pink eye to serious conditions that may lead to blindness.

The actual reason why an extended wear contact lens is making a comeback is because of the growing popularity of disposable contact lenses. The reason that people acquire eye infections is after they take off their extended lenses and despite cleaned with contact lens solution it was impossible to remove all the proteins and lipids and other deposits accumulated on the lens. If the wearer re-uses the lenses, these deposits, a breeding ground for bacteria could cause infection, inflammation and discomfort. To prevent infection from contaminants in the contact lenses, it is required to be thrown away right after removing.

Again, the main cause of infection is improper cleaning and disinfecting but you must also consider your lifestyle. Make sure to avoid exposure to smoke, wearing the contact lens when swimming because this may also leas to serious complications due to infections. Asking advice from an eye doctor if a extended contact lens is appropriate for a person’s requirement is a must.