If you primarily wear contacts, do you ever give your eyes a break?

[okinawama]

I wear contacts about 16 hours a day, and only wear glasses at night before bed and immediately in the morning. Is there any concern to wearing contacts so frequently? Do you give your eyes a "break" and wear glasses during the day occasionally?

[mommylamb]

I sometimes wear my glasses on the weekend, but I wear my contacts a lot. I only wear my glasses mid week if my contacts have been bothering me for some reason. My eye doc wasn't worried about my use. I do however take them out every night, never sleep in them, and clean them very well.

[wendibird22]

I don't. I wear contacts daily from 5:30am-~8pm. I do sometimes wear glasses all day if I think they look smart with my outfit or I'm just hanging out at home and don't feel like contacts. But I don't intentionally give my eyes a break and my eye doc has never told me it was necessary.

[essnce629]

I've had contacts since I was 13 and don't give my eyes a break. I wear my contacts from about 8am to as late as midnight when I take my shower. I did get a pair of glasses last year (didn't have a pair for 5+ years!) so I wear my contacts for about an hour in the morning and after my shower till I go to bed. I never wear my glasses out of the house.

[scrooks]

I have been wearing contacts for 22 years. I take them out each night and wear them 98% of the time. I occasionally wear my glasses but it's not an intentional break. I have never been told by my eye doc to give my eyes a break.

[crl]

I was told by an eye doctor a few years ago that I need to make sure to have a couple of hours a day that I am awake and do not have contacts in. He had some explanation about oxygen and blood vessels in the eye. I had never been told that before, but it started making an effort to take mine out awhile before bed each day.

Catherine

[Mikey0709]

Yes!!! Give your eyes a break! Learned my lesson last year when I ended up with a cornea ulcer! Basically like an infection on my eye. As I'm aging my eyes seem to be drier, therefore more susceptible. I had been wearing daily contacts for 20 years. keep them in longggg days, but a fresh pair everyday. Eye doctor said I could have lost eyesight if I let it go another 24-48 hours. I was shocked! Worst part when it happened I had to go without contacts for weeks while it healed, and I didn't have a current pair of glasses or a glasses rx when it happened. And they couldn't prescribe until it healed so I felt like I couldn't see for weeks. Please give your eyes a break to breathe!!!!

[JustMe]

Hmmnm, I wear my contacts from about 6:45am to 11pm. Will talk to my eye dr about this at my next exam.

[mikala]

Yes!!! Give your eyes a break! Learned my lesson last year when I ended up with a cornea ulcer! Basically like an infection on my eye. As I'm aging my eyes seem to be drier, therefore more susceptible. I had been wearing daily contacts for 20 years. keep them in longggg days, but a fresh pair everyday. Eye doctor said I could have lost eyesight if I let it go another 24-48 hours. I was shocked! Worst part when it happened I had to go without contacts for weeks while it healed, and I didn't have a current pair of glasses or a glasses rx when it happened. And they couldn't prescribe until it healed so I felt like I couldn't see for weeks. Please give your eyes a break to breathe!!!!

Something similar happened to a friend who had worn contacts for over 15 years. She had a temporary loss of sight and then permanent scarring. She narrowly missed permanent sight damage.

[MMMommy]

I wear contacts about 16 hours a day, and only wear glasses at night before bed and immediately in the morning. Is there any concern to wearing contacts so frequently? Do you give your eyes a "break" and wear glasses during the day occasionally?

My usage is just like you. I've had contacts for about 27 years. I have terrible eyesight and never wear my very, very thick glasses in public. Hopefully the sleeping hours are a good enough break!

[georgiegirl]

I've worn contacts since I was 16, so 23 years now. I wear mine every day except if I'm really sick or if I have pink eye. I wear them 12-13 hours a day.

[Twin Mom]

Generally speaking, I don't wear my glasses in public but I definitely don't wear my contacts as long as I did when I was younger but it's not because my doctor told me to wear them less. It's more because they bother me more as I've gotten older so I typically take them out when my DC go to sleep around 8-9 most weeknights. I generally don't go to sleep until after 11. If I'm going out after work/on the weekend, I wear them longer. I never sleep in them and clean them every night. My cousin was an optometrist and he always told me that it was bad for your eyes to sleep in contacts.