Extended wear contact lenses offer the ultimate in convenience in that they can be worn for 24 hours without being removed. This means that it is even possible to sleep in them! Although extended wear lenses do not suit everyone, they can be perfect for people working long and irregular shifts such as doctors and nurses.

The reason that it is possible to wear these lenses for so long is because of the amount of oxygen that they allow to reach your eye. If eyes do not receive a sufficient amount of oxygen they become prone to eye infections which can cause pain and even some loss of vision.

It is the permeable silicon hydrogel material that extended wear contact lenses are made from that allows enough oxygen to reach your eyes, even whilst you are asleep.

In addition to preventing eye infections, the right amount of oxygen reaching your eyes also stops them from feeling dry. Extended wear contacts allow more oxygen to reach the cornea than any other type of lens. This makes them ideal for people who tend to suffer from dry eyes. Those who sit in front of a computer screen all day, for instance, can find that this kind of contact lens works well for them. Although it is possible to sleep in extended wear lenses, this does not suit everyone. Therefore we recommend that you ask your optometrist to confirm that he or she thinks you should be able to sleep in your lenses, just to be on the safe side. Interestingly studies suggest that young men in particular seem to experience problems sleeping in contact lenses.

If you follow your optometrist's care advice and clean your lenses regularly and in the right way, it is unlikely that you will experience any problems with extended wear lenses. However, if you do feel any discomfort or experience either vision changes or eye redness, consult your optometrist immediately.