A 39-year-old named Groeschen got up one morning just to see his eye got irritated during the night. The condition of his eye became worse and worse in the days that followed and he was forced to seek medical help.
Once at the Cincinnati Eye Institute, he received some sad news.
He contracted a bacteria known as Pseudomonas. The reason why, according to his doctors, was that he was going to bed at night with his contact lenses on and this bacteria is capable of “incubating” below contact lenses.
It is comparable to looking through an opaque piece of glass. The disease causes your cornea to get considerably degraded,” the physicians informed him.
“As the illness goes away, the scar tissue that develops as a result of the infection will make it hard for you to see.”
Unfortunately, a corneal transplant—a procedure that requires about a year of recuperation—was the only chance for him to get his sight back.
Groechen could not keep up with the job because he had a restorations business that does design-based work.
Groeschen claims that the box for the contacts he slept in says it is okay to wear them to sleep. However, this is clearly not the best counsel for people to heed.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology issued a war:ning in 2013 that stated “overnight wear, regardless of contact lens type, increases the incidence of corneal infection.”
Dr. William Faulkner, who treated Groeschen, said for the media, “Security is the major concern for the eyes, and if contacts are worn overnight, it is something that I would not advocate. The daily-wear disposable contact lenses are by far the safest option for anyone who wears glasses or contacts.”
Other dangerous practices among contact lens users include keeping the lens covers in storage for longer than is recommended and not changing the solution in the case fully—that is, not emptying the case completely before adding a fresh solution.