Sleeping with a contact lens can cause dryness, infection, and even serious eye damage due to reduced oxygen flow and bacteria buildup.
The Risks of Sleeping With Contacts In
Sleeping while wearing contact lenses is a common mistake many make, but it carries significant risks. Contacts restrict oxygen from reaching the cornea, which is crucial for keeping your eyes healthy. When you close your eyes during sleep, oxygen levels drop even further. This lack of oxygen can cause corneal hypoxia, leading to swelling, irritation, and discomfort.
Besides oxygen deprivation, sleeping with contacts increases the risk of eye infections. Bacteria and fungi can easily build up on the lenses overnight, especially if they aren’t cleaned properly. These microorganisms thrive in the warm, moist environment between your lens and eye during sleep. The result? Conditions like microbial keratitis—a serious infection that can cause pain, redness, blurred vision, and in severe cases, permanent vision loss.
How Oxygen Deprivation Affects Your Eyes
Your cornea gets oxygen directly from the air when your eyes are open. Contact lenses act as a barrier that reduces this oxygen supply. During sleep, when your eyelids are closed, the oxygen level drops even more because less air reaches the surface of your eyes.
This shortage leads to corneal swelling or edema. Swollen corneas become cloudy and uncomfortable. You might experience blurry vision or a gritty feeling when you wake up. Over time, repeated oxygen deprivation can weaken your cornea’s structure and increase susceptibility to injury or infection.
Bacterial Buildup and Infection Risks
Contact lenses can trap dirt, dust, oils from your skin, and bacteria from your fingers or environment. When you sleep with them on, these contaminants stay trapped against your eye for hours without being flushed away by tears.
This creates a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa or fungi such as Fusarium species. These microbes can invade the cornea causing microbial keratitis—a painful condition that requires immediate medical attention.
Ignoring symptoms such as redness, pain, discharge, or blurred vision after sleeping with contacts can lead to permanent damage including scarring or even loss of eyesight.
Types of Contact Lenses and Sleep Safety
Not all contact lenses are created equal when it comes to wearing them overnight. Some lenses are FDA-approved for extended or continuous wear up to six nights or even 30 days in rare cases under strict supervision. However, most daily wear lenses are not designed for sleeping.
Daily Wear Lenses
These lenses must be removed before sleeping every night. They have lower oxygen permeability compared to extended wear lenses and pose a higher risk of complications if left in during sleep.
Extended Wear Lenses
Made from materials that allow more oxygen transmission (like silicone hydrogel), these lenses are designed for occasional overnight use but still carry risks if worn too long without breaks.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses
RGP lenses allow more oxygen through than soft lenses but are generally not recommended for overnight wear due to discomfort and risk factors similar to soft lenses.
| Lens Type | Overnight Wear Approved? | Oxygen Permeability Level |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Wear Soft Lenses | No | Low to Moderate |
| Extended Wear Silicone Hydrogel Lenses | Yes (up to 6 nights) | High |
| Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses (RGP) | No | Moderate to High |
The Immediate Effects After Sleeping With Contacts In
Waking up with contacts still in place often results in irritation and discomfort. Your eyes may feel dry or scratchy because the lens absorbs moisture overnight instead of letting it circulate freely over your eye surface.
You might notice blurry vision caused by corneal swelling or debris trapped under the lens. Sometimes people experience redness from mild inflammation due to low oxygen levels and mechanical irritation while sleeping.
In some cases, you may develop small corneal abrasions—tiny scratches caused by rubbing against the lens during sleep movements. These abrasions increase vulnerability to infections if not treated promptly.
Why Dryness Happens Overnight
Contacts absorb tears that lubricate your eyes throughout the day. When you sleep with them on, tear production slows down significantly because your eyes are closed and resting.
This leads to dryness both on the lens surface and underneath it against your cornea. Dryness causes discomfort upon waking and makes removing the lens more difficult since dry lenses stick slightly more than moist ones.
The Long-Term Consequences of Sleeping With Contacts Regularly
Repeatedly sleeping with contacts greatly raises risks beyond temporary discomfort:
- Chronic Eye Infections: Recurring infections can cause scarring that permanently impairs vision.
- Corneal Ulcers: Open sores on the cornea resulting from untreated infections or abrasions.
- Permanent Vision Loss: Severe infections may damage deeper layers of the eye.
- Keratitis: Inflammation leading to pain and light sensitivity.
- Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: Damage affecting corneal regeneration capacity.
Ignoring proper contact hygiene habits combined with overnight wear only compounds these dangers over time.
The Science Behind Why Sleeping With Contacts Is Harmful
The key issue lies in how contact lenses interfere with normal eye physiology during sleep:
- Lack of Oxygen: Closed eyelids reduce atmospheric oxygen by about 75%. Contacts further limit this supply.
- Tear Film Disruption: Tears cleanse debris from the eye surface constantly while awake but slow down during sleep.
- Bacterial Proliferation: Warmth and moisture trapped under the lens create an ideal environment for microbes.
- Tissue Damage: Prolonged hypoxia causes cellular stress leading to inflammation and weakening tissue integrity.
- Lens Movement Restriction: During sleep, lens movement decreases reducing natural cleaning actions by blinking.
Each factor contributes cumulatively making overnight contact wear risky unless specifically designed otherwise.
How To Protect Your Eyes If You Accidentally Sleep With Contacts In
If you realize you’ve slept with contacts in unintentionally:
- Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes: This could worsen irritation or cause abrasions.
- Remove Lenses Carefully: Use lubricating drops if needed before removal.
- Irrigate Your Eyes: Rinse gently with sterile saline solution if available.
- Avoid Wearing Them Again Immediately: Give your eyes time to recover for at least several hours.
- If You Feel Pain or Notice Redness/Discharge: Seek prompt medical attention from an eye care professional.
- Avoid Using Over-the-Counter Eye Drops That Are Not Recommended For Contact Lens Users:
- This could worsen symptoms depending on ingredients.
The Importance of Proper Contact Lens Hygiene Habits
Preventing problems related to sleeping with contacts starts with good hygiene:
- Always Remove Contacts Before Sleeping Unless Prescribed Otherwise.
- Cleansing Lenses Thoroughly Daily Using Recommended Solutions.
- Avoid Using Water Or Saliva To Clean Or Store Lenses Due To Risk Of Contamination.
- Avoid Wearing Contacts Beyond Their Recommended Replacement Schedule.
- Avoid Swimming Or Showering While Wearing Contacts To Prevent Exposure To Harmful Microorganisms.
- Scheduling Regular Eye Exams To Monitor Eye Health And Lens Fit.
Adhering strictly to these practices reduces risks dramatically while keeping your eyes comfortable and safe.
The Role Of Material Technology In Contact Lens Safety During Sleep
Modern advancements have improved materials used in contact lenses aimed at increasing oxygen permeability:
- Silicone Hydrogel Materials:
This innovation allows significantly more oxygen transfer compared to traditional hydrogel materials—up to five times more in some cases—making extended wear safer under professional guidance.
- Lipid-Repellent Coatings And Surface Treatments:
This helps reduce protein deposits which otherwise accumulate faster during prolonged wear including overnight.
However even advanced materials cannot eliminate all risks associated with sleeping in contacts unless specifically approved for it by an eye care provider.
Key Takeaways: What Happens If You Sleep With A Contact In?
➤ Increased risk of eye infections and irritation.
➤ Reduced oxygen supply to your cornea.
➤ Higher chance of dry, red, and uncomfortable eyes.
➤ Potential for corneal ulcers or serious damage.
➤ Always remove contacts before sleeping for safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happens If You Sleep With A Contact In?
Sleeping with a contact lens reduces oxygen flow to your cornea, causing dryness, irritation, and swelling. It also increases the risk of bacterial buildup, which can lead to serious eye infections and discomfort.
Can Sleeping With A Contact In Cause Eye Infections?
Yes, sleeping with contacts traps bacteria and fungi against your eye, creating a breeding ground for infections like microbial keratitis. These infections can cause pain, redness, blurred vision, and may require urgent medical care.
How Does Oxygen Deprivation Affect Your Eyes When You Sleep With Contacts In?
Contact lenses limit oxygen reaching the cornea, especially during sleep when eyelids are closed. This oxygen shortage can cause corneal swelling, discomfort, blurry vision, and long-term damage if repeated frequently.
Are All Contact Lenses Safe To Sleep In?
No. Only certain FDA-approved lenses are designed for extended or overnight wear. Regular lenses are not safe to sleep in as they increase risks of dryness, infection, and corneal damage.
What Symptoms Indicate Problems After Sleeping With A Contact In?
If you experience redness, pain, discharge, blurry vision, or discomfort after sleeping with a contact lens in, seek medical attention immediately. These symptoms may signal infection or serious eye damage.
The Bottom Line: What Happens If You Sleep With A Contact In?
Sleeping with a contact lens disrupts essential eye functions like oxygen delivery and tear flow leading to dryness, irritation, swelling, increased infection risk—and potentially serious complications such as ulcers or permanent vision loss if done repeatedly or improperly.
While some specialty extended-wear lenses exist allowing occasional overnight use safely under supervision, most daily-wear contacts should always be removed before bedtime without exception.
Your best bet is treating this habit seriously: remove contacts before sleep every night; keep them clean; follow replacement schedules; watch for warning signs like pain/redness; seek professional help immediately if problems arise.
Taking these steps protects not just comfort but long-term eyesight too—because nothing beats seeing clearly through healthy eyes!