What Happens When You Leave Contact Lenses In Too Long?

A woman recently went blind after she left her contacts in for 6 months straight! Why is it so bad to leave your contacts in for long periods of time? Join Laci as she discusses what can build up on your contact lens, and how it can potentially leave you blind!


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"A student in Taiwan who left contact lenses in her eyes for six months straight developed a rare and serious eye infection that ultimately took her vision, according to a news report."

Contact Lenses Are A Breeding Ground For Parasites; One Student Went Blind After Wearing Them For 6 Months Straight
"The cardinal rule when using contact lenses is to maintain proper hygiene."

Facts About The Cornea and Corneal Disease
"The cornea is the eye's outermost layer. It is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye."

What Every Contact Lens Wearer Needs To Know (But Is Afraid To Ask)
"If you're one of the 36 million contact lens wearers in the U.S., chances are you went through a mini-course in hygiene when you first got your prescription."

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[KentPetersonmoney]

I don't even keep my contacts on for 1 day. Now if I was in a coma, sure hope someone would remove my contacts.

[darKILLusionnn]

How do people _forget_ to take out their contacts?!?! They aren't even comfortable.

[Naedeslus]

I bet she didn't see that one coming.

[savanna]

OMG so I read the title and I was all like ok like 1-2 days tops
But once she said 6 months I was all like
WHO THE HELL WHOULD DO THAT
GIRL BYE
yet I still watched the whole thing

[ObliviouslySmart]

…slowly takes contacts out that have been left in my eyes for 1.5 weeks ( and they're daily wear ones)...

[KapnHook]

My dad left his on for over a year. He just squirted the contact solution in his eye every morning. He's perfectly fine.

[TinkerTheCuteness]

Why are people so whiny when it comes to contacts?? If you are hygienic, contacts will NOT itch and burn on your eye??? Where are my experienced contact users at???

[Commander_HW]

I asked Siri to remind me that take out my contacts when i get home. So when i get home i just switch to glasses and let me eyeballs breath.

[Maxground]

How does someone leave a contact on for 6 months?! How did she not know?

[ultravidz]

Someday LASIK will be $99, and glasses will be only a fashion item.

[joyhandy]

This is why I clean my contacts every night.

[deanmohan]

I've been wearing contacts for 15 years and honestly they have never caused me one bit of harm in fact my eyes feel better with them in

[TobyKidMajor]

XD I love how when she's talking about the discomfort contacts can cause, the image of the woman rubbing her eyes has a pair of glasses pushed up on her head.

[Bobo_Tapia]

I hate the idea of touching anything to my eye. Even seeing someone put in or remove contacts makes me uncomfortable.

[Seanmmvi]

I have worn contacts every single day for the last 10 or so years and would like to share my brief story. In this time I have learned that in the eye care industry, just like any industry, there is money to be made, and when an industry can make more money, they won't hesitate to do so. For example, your eye prescription expiring and unable to order new contacts with out an up to date prescription, biggest load of Bs I've ever heard. For the first couple years I followed the doctors instructions religiously, essentially not doing any of the basic no-no's that Lacey went over in the end of this video. I found this to be quite expensive, throwing away 2 week contacts every 2 weeks, replacing fluid every night and replacing cases every couple months. Then as time went on I got a little lazy. Used the same set of contacts way longer than their recommended usage time, like months instead of every 2 weeks, cleaning cases instead of replacing them and the biggest money saver, using contacts longer than their recommended usage. But, I take my contacts out every day, without fail. I've switched from 2 week disposables to daily disposables simply because of the amount of lenses you get from a 3 month supply of daily disposables vs 2 week disposables, for essentially the same price. I've been using the same 3 month supply of daily disposables for a few years and have a drawer full of contacts still. Basically I listen to my body, after about 4 months of using the same pair of daily disposables, I replace them because I notice they start to irritate my eyes. Also having more contact lenses let's you be much more relaxed with your contacts. For example, when I first started using contacts If I dropped a contact on the floor I had to pick it up and clean it as best as I could because I only had 3 pairs left in my drawer that had to last me another month. Now if I drop a lens I don't even bother to pick it up, i have a drawer full.But like I said, I take them out and clean them every night.

[pinkaink]

I actually have a friend who does the exact same thing, changing contacts every six months. She's been doing it for years and she's somehow perfectly fine. Go figure!

[gundabrooks]

What the hell? How on the earth people can keep them in for so long? I once fell asleep with my contacts in and when I woke up in the morning I couldn't open my eyes for solid 15 minutes, I panicked so much lmao

[krystaking]

My boyfriend had been wearing his contacts for a year. I finally convinced him to get new lenses a few weeks ago, but I was irrationally afraid to watch him take them out because for some reason I was afraid that they had fused to his cornea and by removing them, he'd rip his eyes apart.
He just took them out like no big deal. All he said was that it felt like his eyes were naked.
And I just got contacts a few weeks ago, and if I wear them for even two days without taking them out my contacts feel like freaking plastic and they huuurt! I have no clue how he made it a year without even touching them or putting eye drops in. Insane.

[missdizzyblonde]

who wud ever leave contacts in for 6 months?? my my eyes get dry and sore aftr 8/9 hours!!

[bmerio]

And that, kiddies, is why you shouldn't wear contacts. Plus glasses look hotter.