7th, November 2019 | Oh Jinna
5 Commonly Asked Questions About Extended Wear
Removing your contact lenses at night tend to be tedious and frustrating. Especially after a hard day’s work, all you want to do is put on a good tv show and be comfortable in your bed.
At some point, you might have considered ever opting for an extended wear in exchange for your regular contact lenses because of how seemingly convenient it is.
If you are searching for a conducive option that could cater to your specialized eye medical needs, extended overnight wear might be the solution that you are looking for.
In this article, you will know the answers to the most asked questions about extended wear.
As the explanation unveils, important things relating to the extended wear, the risks and other factors that you should take into account, and the benefits of extended wear will be disclosed.
Here are the 5 commonly asked questions about extended overnight wear, and the important answers that comes along with it.
Before we proceed further, let’s start off by elaborating what type of contact lens is an extended wear.
Extended Wear
To make it simple, extended wear is a term that is used for contact lenses that can be worn even when you are sleeping at night.
You might be thinking, how is it possible? This inevitable inquisition is mostly prompted by the general knowledge that we have about contact lenses which is that contact lenses must be removed at the end of the day, just as what you would do to glasses or else you could lose your eyesight.
However, that is also likely to happen, only if you don’t take the necessary precautions.
According to a published study conducted by the Vision Case Institute, “extended wear (EW) refers to six nights of continuous wear followed by a night of no lens wear, and continuous wear (CW) as up to 30 nights followed by a night of no lens wear”.
Historically, “hydrogel overnight wear lenses were typically worn for up to 30 nights then removed, cleaned and reinserted.”
This study have shown that during the year of 1985 “an estimated 4 million US patients were wearing lenses in this way.
Early overnight wear research was conducted in an intuitive clinical manner with patient success being judged by the ability to continue to wear the lenses.
Are Extended Wear Safe to Use?
The biggest question that most people have of extended wear is, if it’s safe to use.
Many people are not exactly ready to jump on the wagon the minute someone says “an overnight contact lens” if the condition of their eyes will be put on the line.
They are more worried that it could do more damage to their eyes than good.
To answer this question, yes it is safe to use. However, users are still susceptible to dangers of extended wear if they are not careful.
The CooperVision stated that “the biggest risk of extended wear contact lenses is infection, which can lead to blindness.”
In addition to that, corneal neovascularization inflammation and irritation as well.
The reason why this happens is because the blood vessels in your eye, which grows toward your iris, is in desperate need of oxygen and it’s not getting any.
Reduced the risks in these simple ways:
- As much as possible, remove extended wear contacts before sleeping.
- Remove contact lenses before swimming.
- Don’t handle your lenses with unsanitized hands.
- Stay away from smoke and other poor air conditions.
- Dispose expired contact lenses.
- Adhere to all instructions given by your doctor and contact lens manufacturer.
What are the Benefits of Extended Wear?
If you would follow your eye care professional’s advice, necessary steps, instructions, and the do’s and don’ts, then surely, no harm would come in your way and your eyes.
You can enjoy the benefits of extended wear as much as you would want when you take the actions that you are expected and supposed to do.
If you do just that, here are some of the benefits of extended wear for:
- People with unpredictable or highly active lifestyles
Military personnel or outdoor enthusiasts, who aren’t always able to properly clean or handle their lenses, benefit from extended wear contacts that can be left in for long periods. This is also true for emergency and shift workers. - People with binocular vision abnormalities
Some problems with binocular vision, including amblyopia, are better addressed with continuous vision correction. - People with especially bad vision
Some wearers with high refractive errors (near- or farsightedness or astigmatism) find it extremely helpful to be able to see clearly at all times, especially when waking up unexpectedly at night.
Do your Eyes Dry Up with Extended Wear?
Based on the study conducted by the Vision Care Institute titled “Overnight Wear”, they found out that extended wear have “improved comfort and less dryness after a period of adaptation.
They should therefore be the lens of choice when offering this modality to new wearers.” But it also comes with risks because these lenses are not “without complications which require appropriate recognition and management.
This may involve the use of RGP lenses, moving to daily wear silicone hydrogel or hydrogel lenses or, in the future, the use of therapeutic agents by contact lens practitioners.”
Regardless of lens type prescribed, the importance of patient selection and education, optimal lens fitting and comprehensive or regular follow-up remains the same.
How Long Should an Extended Wear be Worn?
Most typically, extended wear contacts are contact lenses that you can wear continuously ideally for up to six nights and seven days.
With the rise of silicone hydrogel lenses, which lets the oxygen through the lens of your eyes, there are now also continuous wear contacts that can be worn up to 30 days straight without the hassle of removing them every so often.
Is its said that the main benchmark for an extended wear contact lens is oxygen permeability.
While you sleep, the only way for your cornea to get the oxygen it needs to stay healthy is from the blood vessels in your eyelids.
To answer this question, it depends on what your eye care professional recommends.
Some extended wear are approved for up to seven days of continuous wear, while some are approved for up to 30 days of continuous wear.
It’s important to note that these are the maximum recommended wearing schedules.
Many people cannot tolerate wearing extended wear lenses for a long period of time, and some people’s eyes cannot tolerate any overnight wear of contact lenses.
Should you Choose a Pair of Glasses Over Extended Wear?
Given the risks that extended wear also have, some people have contemplated whether they should just choose glasses instead over the now popular overnight contact lenses.
If you have battled over this question for a while and want some advice, take a look at some of the pro’s and con’s of these two options.
With extended wear, you can sleep in them for at least six to seven days or even up to thirty days at most if it’s prescribed.
You do have to make sure to clean them from time to time. When you put them back on, it’s more complicated than executing a one quick swift motion like you do with glasses.
It takes more work before you can get them on.
With glasses, you can easily put them on and remove them. You do have to clean them for lints and any tiny particles that gets in the glass.
Unlike extended wear that uses solution, if you clean your glasses it only requires a microfiber cloth, wipe the dirt off and you’re good to go.
In the end, it all just depends on your preference and which work you’re willing to put up for the sake of convenience and health.
References:
https://www.jnjvisioncare.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/uk/tvci/eclp_chapter_9.pdf
https://coopervision.com/about-contacts/extended-wear-contact-lenses
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