If you’ve ever wondered what contact lenses can you sleep in, you’re not alone. Many people want the convenience of wearing their lenses overnight, but it’s crucial to know which ones are actually designed for it.
Sleeping in the wrong type of contact lens is one of the biggest risks you can take with your eye health. This guide will explain the specific lenses approved for overnight wear, how they work, and the essential safety rules you must follow.
What Contact Lenses Can You Sleep In
Only certain contact lenses are approved by health authorities like the FDA for extended or continuous wear. These are specifically designed to allow enough oxygen to reach your cornea even while your eyes are closed.
Sleeping in regular daily wear lenses can starve your cornea of oxygen, leading to serious infections and even permanent damage. The lenses approved for sleeping fall into two main categories.
Extended Wear Contact Lenses
These lenses are approved for continuous wear for up to 6 nights and 7 days. You can sleep in them every night during that period before removing them. They are typically made from highly oxygen-permeable silicone hydrogel materials.
- Examples: Air Optix Night & Day Aqua, Bausch + Lomb Ultra.
- Wear Schedule: Up to 7 days of continuous wear, followed by disposal.
- Key Feature: Very high oxygen transmissibility (Dk/t).
Continuous Wear Contact Lenses
This term is often used interchangeably with “extended wear,” but some lenses are approved for even longer periods, such as 30 days and nights of continuous wear. Always check the specific manufacturer’s instructions for your lens brand.
- Examples: Biofinity (up to 7 nights), Acuvue Oasys (up to 6 nights).
- Wear Schedule: Varies by brand; strict replacement schedules are critical.
- Key Feature: Engineered for maximum safety during overnight wear.
The Critical Role of Oxygen Permeability
When you sleep, your cornea gets less oxygen from the atmosphere because your eyelids are closed. Contact lenses make this worse by creating a barrier.
Lenses approved for sleeping are made from advanced materials, primarily silicone hydrogel. This material has a much higher oxygen permeability than traditional soft lens materials, allowing sufficient oxygen to pass through the lens to your cornea all night long.
Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) Lenses for Overnight Wear
Some Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses are also approved for extended wear. They are less common for this purpose but can be an option, especially in orthokeratology.
- Ortho-K Lenses: A special type of RGP lens worn only while you sleep. They gently reshape the cornea overnight to correct myopia, so you can see clearly during the day without any lenses.
- Important: Ortho-K is a medical procedure and requires a specialized fitting and strict monitoring by an eye doctor.
Why You Should Never Sleep in Unapproved Lenses
It might seem harmless to accidentally nap in your daily lenses, but the risks are real and significant. Your cornea needs oxygen to stay healthy and fight off infection.
Risk of Corneal Hypoxia
This is a fancy term for oxygen starvation. Symptoms include:
- Red, bloodshot eyes upon waking.
- Pain or discomfort.
- Blurred vision that doesn’t clear up.
- Seeing halos around lights.
Chronic hypoxia can lead to the growth of new blood vessels into the cornea, which can impair vision.
Dramatically Increased Infection Risk
Sleeping in lenses increases your risk of a corneal infection (microbial keratitis) by 5 to 8 times. Bacteria or other microbes can get trapped under the lens, and the low-oxygen environment helps them thrive.
- Bacterial Keratitis: A severe, painful infection that can scar the cornea and cause permanent vision loss if not treated immediately.
- Acanthamoeba Keratitis: A rare but devastating infection caused by a water-borne parasite, often associated with improper lens care or exposure to water while wearing lenses.
Corneal Ulcers and Inflammation
Infections can lead to open sores on the cornea called ulcers. Even without an infection, overnight wear can cause inflammation like Contact Lens Acute Red Eye (CLARE) or infiltrative keratitis, resulting in pain, light sensitivity, and redness.
How to Safely Sleep in Your Contact Lenses
If you and your eye doctor decide extended wear is right for you, following these steps is non-negotiable for protecting your eyes.
Step 1: Get a Professional Fitting and Prescription
Never buy overnight lenses without a prescription. Your eye doctor will:
- Assess if your eyes are suitable for extended wear (some people’s corneas need more oxygen than others).
- Measure your eye curvature for a perfect fit.
- Provide training on proper insertion, removal, and care.
Step 2: Follow the Replacement Schedule Exactly
If your lenses are approved for 7-day wear, discard them after 7 days. Do not try to stretch them to 8 or 9 days. The lens material degrades and protein builds up, increasing risk.
Step 3: Maintain Impeccable Hygiene
Whenever you do remove your lenses, clean and disinfect them properly with the solution recommended by your doctor. Rub and rinse them, even if you use a “no-rub” solution, for better cleaning.
Step 4: Have a Backup Pair of Glasses
Always keep an up-to-date pair of glasses. If your eyes become red, irritated, or painful, you must remove your lenses immediately and where your glasses until you can see your doctor.
Step 5: Attend All Follow-Up Appointments
Your doctor will schedule more frequent check-ups to monitor your eye health. Do not skip these appointments.
When to Immediately Remove Your Lenses and Call a Doctor
Stop wearing your lenses and seek medical attention right away if you experience:
- Persistent pain, redness, or discomfort in the eye.
- Extreme sensitivity to light.
- Sudden blurry or hazy vision.
- Excessive tearing or unusual discharge.
- The feeling that something is stuck in your eye.
Daily Disposables vs. Overnight Lenses: Key Differences
It’s easy to confuse daily disposable lenses with lenses approved for sleeping. They are not the same thing.
Daily Disposable Lenses: Designed to be worn once during the day and thrown away before you sleep. They are not approved for overnight wear, even though they are very healthy for daily use.
Extended/Continuous Wear Lenses: Designed with higher oxygen permeability to be worn for multiple days and nights continuously. They are thicker and more durable to withstand the longer wear cycle.
The convenience of dailies is in their no-cleaning routine, not in overnight wear. Sleeping in a daily disposable lens is just as risky as sleeping in any other unapproved lens.
Who is a Good Candidate for Overnight Lenses?
Not everyone should sleep in their contacts. An ideal candidate usually:
- Has a prescription that can be corrected with available extended wear lenses.
- Has corneas that receive enough oxygen under a lens during sleep (as measured by an eye doctor).
- Is highly motivated and disciplined about lens care and follow-up visits.
- Has no history of frequent eye infections, severe dry eye, or other ocular surface diseases.
- May have a lifestyle need, such as irregular work hours, frequent travel, or medical conditions that make daily insertion/removal difficult.
Your eye doctor is the only person who can truely determine if you are a candidate.
Common Myths About Sleeping in Contact Lenses
Myth 1: “It’s okay if I just take a short nap.”
Fact: Even a short nap reduces oxygen flow. The risk begins the moment your eyes are closed with an unapproved lens on.
Myth 2: “My eyes feel fine, so it must be safe.”
Fact: Damage can occur without immediate symptoms. By the time your eyes hurt or are red, a serious problem may already be present.
Myth 3: “I can sleep in any lens if I use rewetting drops.”
Fact: Rewetting drops may relieve dryness but do not increase the oxygen permeability of the lens. The oxygen barrier issue remains.
Myth 4: “I’ve done it before with no problems.”
Fact: This is like saying “I’ve texted while driving before with no problems.” It only takes one serious infection to cause permanent damage.
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
Can you sleep in contact lenses for a few hours?
You should only sleep in lenses that are specifically approved for extended or continuous wear. Even a few-hour nap in unapproved lenses increases your risk of infection and hypoxia. It’s never recommended.
What happens if you accidentally sleep in your contacts?
If you fall asleep in daily wear lenses, remove them as soon as you wake up. Give your eyes a break by wearing glasses for the rest of the day. Use lubricating drops if your eyes are dry. Watch closely for signs of redness, pain, or blurred vision, and contact your eye doctor if any symptoms appear.
Are there monthly contacts you can sleep in?
Yes, some monthly replacement lenses are approved for extended wear (like Biofinity). However, “monthly” refers to the replacement schedule, not the continuous wear time. A monthly lens approved for extended wear typically means you can wear them continuously for up to 7 nights, then you must discard them and start a new pair. You cannot wear the same pair for 30 consecutive nights unless the packaging and your doctor explicitly state it’s approved for 30-day continuous wear.
How can I tell if my contacts are okay for sleeping in?
Check the lens packaging or your prescription information from your doctor. It will clearly state “For Extended Wear” or “For Continuous Wear” if they are approved. If it says “Daily Wear” only, they are not safe for sleep. When in doubt, assume they are not approved and ask your optometrist.
Is it better to just use dailies?
For overall eye health and safety, daily disposable lenses (worn only during waking hours) are often considered the healthiest option because you put a fresh, sterile lens on every day. They eliminate cleaning errors and buildup. However, if you have a specific need for overnight wear, an approved extended wear lens used under a doctor’s supervision is the correct choice.
Making the Decision: Talk to Your Eye Doctor
The bottom line on what contact lenses you can sleep in comes down to a conversation with your eye care professional. They will consider your eye health history, lifestyle, and the specific characteristics of your eyes.
Never self-prescribe overnight lens wear. The potential consequences are to severe to risk. Prioritize your long-term vision health over short-term convenience. By understanding the risks, using only approved products, and committing to strict hygiene and follow-up care, you can safely explore the option of overnight contact lens wear if it is truly right for you.