Wearing Contact Lenses While Sleeping Increase Eye Infection Risk By 6 To 8 Times, New Study Warns

A new study has found that people who do not take proper care of their contact lenses end up getting serious eye infections. According to a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every one in five contact lens-related eye infections reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration resulted in eye damage.

Michael Beach, Director of CDC's Healthy Water Program, said that contact lenses will remain a safe and effective form of vision correction only when the person who wears it takes proper care of the lenses as recommended by eye specialists. But, in case when proper care is not taken then contact lens can lead to serious eye infections that may result in long-term eye damage, reported CBSNews.

For the purpose of the study, the researchers examined more than 1,000 cases of eye infections related to use of contact lens that were reported to the FDA through 2005 to 2015. The patients either had a scarred cornea, required a corneal transplant or had other types of eye damage because of the infection. In fact, over 10 percent of the patients had to rush to a hospital or urgent care clinic for immediate treatment. The researchers claimed that even minor lens-related eye infections can be quite painful and disruptive, reported WebMD.

The study found that more than one out of four infections were linked to easily avoidable behaviors such as wearing contact lenses while sleeping or wearing them longer than recommended. To be on a safer side, the CDC has urged people to stop wearing their contact lenses while sleeping as doing so increases the risk of eye infection by 6 to 8 times. Contact lens wearers are advised to get their lenses replaced before their expiration date. Furthermore, users should make sure that they change contact lens solution regularly. The study findings have been published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.