Extended wear contact lenses are safer then ever

It was 30 years ago that Extended wear contact lenses first became available 30.

They were promoted and suggested to be safe to sleep in. But soon after the release, doctors noticed that people who slept with their extended wear lenses were 10 times more likely to develop serious, sight-threatening complications than people who removed their lenses at night. These complications included infections or ulcers on the cornea, the clear covering at the front of the eye. Most eye doctors stopped prescribing extended-wear lenses because of their risks.

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But due to recent breakthroughs, there exists new materials that make extendedwear contact lenses safer. The new materials allow more oxygen to flow into the eye and they allow tears to move more freely over the eyes' surface, preventing a buildup of protein deposits.

Some contact lens manufacturers have recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration on their 30-day extended wear lenses. Time will tell whether the new lenses fulfill their promise of being healthier for the eye.

Studies of lenses made of the new "hyper-oxygen transmissible" material show that they cause less bacterial binding to the lens. A 12-month prospective study in England, published this year, showed that when contact lens wearers sleep with their lenses on, wearers of lenses made of one of these new materials (silicone hydrogel) were five times less likely to develop corneal inflammation than wearers of lenses made of the older materials.

Although in theory, the new lenses should be healthier for the eye, but further studies need to be conducted to determine whether these new lenses prevent ulcerations of the cornea, a less common but more serious complication.

Extended wear lenses aren't for everyone; your eye doctor is the best source of information about them. Consult your doctor on these new lenses, particularly if you plan to sleep with them.

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