Wearing contacts for too long is not healthy
Contact lens wearers are pushing the limits of their eyes by regularly wearing them for longer than recommended.
More than 90 per cent of British lens wearers are even not taking them out throughout the night either, according to the new research carried out on behalf of Bausch + Lomb's Biotrue.
Findings show nearly 50 percent of contact lens wearers admit to regularly wearing their lenses for seven hours longer than the time recommended by their optometrist. A startling one in five admit to having worn them for a full 24 hours longer than advised.
The research looked at whether a person’s profession impacted their contact lens use. Of the 2,000 adults surveyed, 20 professions were identified, and the results showed that those working in Human Resources are most likely to wear their lenses for longer than they should. Almost one in five Human Resources workers admitted to having worn the same contact lenses for 49 hours over the recommended time.
In contrast, the occupation least likely to over-wear their lenses is those in Travel, Leisure and Tourism, with nearly 30 per cent wearing them within the recommended time frame.
Optometrist Brian Tompkins, owner of Tompkins Knight and Son Optometrists, said of the findings: “Wearing contact lenses for longer than the time recommended isn’t something optometrists or contact lens opticians encourage their patients to do.
"But realistically pushing the ‘wear time’ of lenses is something all wearers will probably experience at least once. A good example of when this happens is during the festive season, when people often stay up later for Christmas parties and New Year’s celebrations, often forgetting about their lenses completely.”
Common symptoms wearers reported experiencing when they had worn their lenses for too long include gritty and uncomfortable eyes, itchy eyes, blurred vision, and blood shot eyes.
Those who encountered problems reported experiencing eye infections, the contact lens sticking to the eye, and injury to the eye as being the most common. Nearly half of contact lens wearers report they would be interested in a product that would make contact lenses more comfortable to wear for longer.
Brian Tompkins continues: “You can help to get the most out of your lenses by using a modern multi-purpose solution that provides long-lasting moisture, however it is still important to only wear lenses for the recommended length of time. You are more likely to find your lenses comfortable and suffer fewer eye problems by doing as your optometrist recommends.”
Multi-purpose solutions are specifically designed in order to keep contact lenses clean and clear, ensuring your eyes stay as healthy and comfortable as possible.
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