Can You Wear Daily Contact Lenses For More Than 8 Hours?

Most people who wear spectacles or contact lenses know about contact lens for daily use. As the name suggests, these lenses are meant to be worn for a day. But most people have their own opinion about the duration for which they can wear these lenses. Can you wear your daily lenses all day long? Is there any limit on the number of hours you can wear the best silicone hydrogel contact lenses? Find out in this guide.

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Daily Contact Lenses& Their Potential Challenges

The best silicone hydrogel contact lenses are valued for their sophistication. Once you learn to put them on, there will be no need to deal with cumbersome eyeglasses. They provide predictable vision correction. But wearing a daily contact lens also comes with its own set of challenges. Interestingly, these challenges don’t arise out of the devices themselves. Potential issues arise when users don’t follow the schedule and instructions.

Vision is precious and you should not take things lightly when using contact lenses. It is surprising that so many users risk infections. Most daily wear contacts are disposable and you should not reuse them. Even if you are using a non-disposable daily contact lens, you should wear them for a limited period of time.

Daily Disposable Lens & Daily Wear Lens

When considering the duration for wearing daily contacts, you should know that there are two types of such contacts - daily disposable lens and daily wear lens.

Daily Disposable Lenses

·         Daily disposable contacts are meant to be worn for just one day and for a few hours only

·         They are relatively thinner

·         These lenses are much more comfortable to wear

·         Modern daily disposable lens is made of a combination of silicone and hydrogel that makes them oxygen-permeable

Daily Wear Contacts

Daily wear contact lenses are just like disposable contacts in that they have to be removed after wearing for 8 to 16 hours per day. However, they are different from daily disposable lens in that they can be worn for up to a week or month if you follow the instructions. They need to be cleaned and disinfected every day. They cannot be worn during nighttime or when you are asleep.

How Many Hours Can Your Wear Daily Contact Lenses?

Both types of silicone hydrogel daily contact lenses can be worn for 8 to 12 hours. This duration varies depending on a number of factors including:

·         Your eye health

·         Existing issues of sensitivity or dry eyes

·         How effectively you can tolerate contact lenses

If you work long hours, you should not wear your contacts for longer than 8 hours. Similarly, if you have sensitive eyes, you should remove the lenses once you start feeling the discomfort. It is best to rely on your eye specialist’s words on how many hours you can wear them.

The type of contact lens prescribed will also determine how long you can wear them. Contacts designed for daily use must be worn for no more than 12 hours. However, eye specialists may also recommend a contact lens-free time before going to bed to give rest to your eyes.

Always Follow Manufacturer’s Instructions

FDA-approved contact silicone hydrogel daily contact lenses undergo frequent testing to prove their safety and effectiveness when used as per direction. Whether you choose daily wear or daily disposable lenses, you will find that all of them come with the label “when used as directed.” You must follow the manufacturer’s instructions with regard to the duration of wear and how to wear them.

According to the study, over 45% of the daily disposable lens have staphylococci contamination after wearing them for just one day. You will not want to wash and reuse the same lenses. This is commonly found in bacteria on the skin. It can cause infections in wet and warm conditions.

Daily wear or daily disposable contacts come packed in special sterilized containers filled with fluid. This fluid also has an expiration date. You should not wear the lenses if the date has expired. It is also important to avoid reuse of the fluid.

Maximum Wear Time

Whether you are getting a new pair of contacts or switching to contact lens for daily use for the first time, you should check your eye doctor’s prescription and the manufacturer’s instructions to find the maximum wear time. As already mentioned, 8 hours to 12hours is the usually recommended time for wearing contact lens for daily use. Besides the above-mentioned factors, the weather patterns can also affect this duration. Make sure to remove your lenses if your eyes get irritated and red.

4 Things Not to Do with Your Daily Contact Lens

If you wear daily contact lens, it is important not to do the following with them:

1. Avoid Reuse of Old Cleaning Solution

If you wear silicone hydrogel daily contacts, you will be using a cleaning solution to disinfect and clean them daily. Once you remove your daily wear contacts, make sure to disinfect them in fresh solution. However, the same solution should never be reused.

2. Don’t Reuse Daily Disposable Contacts

Whether you wear them for 8 hours or 12 hours, you should not reuse daily disposable lens. They are different from daily wear contacts in that you must dispose of them off after wearing for a day, even if it was for just 4 hours. You must know that daily contacts are more fragile and thinner than other types of contacts. They also have lower wettability. Apart from the concerns about a bacterial infection, reusing them can make your eyes dry and irritated.

3. Avoid Sleeping in Your Daily Contacts

There are special contact lenses that may be worn when you are asleep, but daily contact lens isn't of them. If you fall asleep in your daily contacts, you can experience irritation in the eye. This may also cause eye swelling.

4. Avoid Wearing Contacts When Your Eyes are Irritated

This applies not just to contact lens for daily use but to all types of other types of contacts. If there is an irritation in your eyes, you should not put the contacts on. Whatever the cause of the irritation, you should see your eye doctor.

So, it is important to keep all these points in mind when you decide to wear silicone hydrogel daily contacts. Contacts have their unique set of advantages, but you must be careful in following the prescriptions and instructions. Daily lenses are just that – they need to be worn for no more than 12 hours at a stretch. And this applies to both disposable and daily-wear lenses.


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