Extended wear Contact Lenses... how often to clean?

[MTDEW]

I just got my 1st contacts , they are the air optix night & day aqua lenses.
The FAQ on the site says i do not need to take them out except for after the 30 day period when i change to a new set.

That seems like a long time to me, but i'm new to contacts , so i have no clue if this is normal or even safe.

Ive had them in for five days straight now and they feel absolutely fine, i'm just wondering if i should take them out & clean them during the 30 day wear period despite what their site says or not.

The sites FAQ is horrible and doesn't really say much.
A google search gets me all kinds of different answers.

So i'm wondering what other people who actually wear contacts think/do.
Is it dangerous to leave contacts in too long?
Do you take them out to clean them and leave them out for any period of time to give your eyes a rest?

 

[anyusername]

I usually take mine out, clean and store them when I go to bed. I just think that my eyes are way too important for me to take any risks.

 

[eelw]

As a new contact wearer, you would take them out overnight. Give your eyes time to get accustom to them. I try to take out my extended wear every week though.

 

[Demo24]

I can never wear contacts for more than about 12-15 hrs or so. So I take them out at night. In your shoes I'd take them out every so often to rinse them off, maybe every few days or so. They may say it's not necessary but it doesn't hurt and nothing bad is going to happen. Also if your a new wearer I would consider taking them out for a bit here and there, maybe for a night every few days until accustomed to them.

 

[MTDEW]

Thanks for the replies.
Im not having any issues with adjusting to them and they feel comfortable.

I will "try" to take them out here today and clean them.

I'm finding getting them out is a heck of a lot harder then putting them in! LOL

 

[eelw]

Well again, also a matter to get accustom to poking yourself in your eye.

 

[MTDEW]

Well, i got them out ok. :biggrin:

Is there any danger of creasing them when taking them out?

I had to kinda pinch my fingers together to get a hold of them for removal, which folds them in half.

 

[Demo24]

Well, i got them out ok. :biggrin:

Is there any danger of creasing them when taking them out?

I had to kinda pinch my fingers together to get a hold of them for removal, which folds them in half.

nah, mine fold over on themselves all the time. If you have longer nails though just be careful not to tear them..that hurts like hell when you put them back in. :'(

 

[KK]

Back before I got lasik, I'd wear my extended wear contacts for 3-6 months at a time. I wouldn't recommend that as the eye people said it was making the blood vessels grow into the pupil areas because of the lack of oxygen. When I first got contacts, there was no way I could have slept in them as my eyes would be closed crusty shut by morning. I probably couldn't sleep with them for atleast the first 4 years of having them.

 

[MTDEW]

Back before I got lasik, I'd wear my extended wear contacts for 3-6 months at a time. I wouldn't recommend that as the eye people said it was making the blood vessels grow into the pupil areas because of the lack of oxygen. When I first got contacts, there was no way I could have slept in them as my eyes would be closed crusty shut by morning. I probably couldn't sleep with them for atleast the first 4 years of having them.

So that answers another curiosity question i had.
The extra eye boogers i get are normal for a new wearer.

 

[DCal430]

When I wore them, I usually took them out once a week.

 

[Blintok]

on a related note. for the past ~10yrs or so been using those daily wear
contacts. I take them out each night. i keep them for a week. fresh pair monday
morning and toss old ones sunday night. Works really well and is cheap. Also dont
care(as much) if i occasionally lose one, which happened often in sports.
Asked my eye doc about this and he saw nothing wrong with it.

 

[Old Hippie]

Contact lenses have come a long way.

I got my first pair in 1963-64 when I was in the 7th grade.

They were very new tech at the time and I was one of the youngest users in my area.

Naturally they were the hard ones and my eyes took awhile getting acclimated to the 'stones in my eyes'.

I had to give them up when I got hired in a steel mill @ 1974.

Looks a lot easier these days.

 

[Jeraden]

I've been thinking about switching to a pair that I can leave in for more than a day. I've been wearing contacts for years now, always take them out at night and put back in in the morning (Acuvue 2). Doesn't really bother me much, just used to it. But the idea of not having to go through that ritual sounds very appealing.

 

[Imp]

The fear of having your lenses in 24/7 is that your eyes will be starved of oxygen, which (already mentioned) may cause more blood vessels to grow into your eye. It's also not as healthy.

Even if they've managed to overcome that obstacle, I would just take them out when you don't "need" them. I wear my 2-4 week lenses for 3 months (more if I forget when I put them in - always), but take them out once I get home and pop on my glasses. Gives my eyes a break, feels more comfortable, no harm done, so why not? I mainly wear contacts for the peripheral vision and so I can put on "normal" sunglasses anyways - no problem at night. It takes one minute and $10-ish per month to buy lens solution. I burn more on coffee and shit food per month.

 

[RPD]

I wear the monthly over night type and have for the last 4 years or so. On average I take them out once a week to clean them and put new ones in at the start of the month.

If my allergies were bad or they just feel dirty, I take them out to clean as needed.