How bad is it to take a nap with contact lenses in?

[MissNowhere]

I've always been a good kid and never slept with contacts in, not even by accident. I'm in a bus right now and the ride is like more than 2 hours, I had a long day and I'm super tired and sleepy. :( Obviously I can't take em out right now... so, how bad is it to sleep with contacts in? Will something horrid happen? Or can I just not give a fuck and just do it? #FirstWorldProblems -_-

[abacaxi84]

It's not advisable, but if you do fall asleep in your contact lenses by mistake then THE WORST possible thing you can do, is take them out straight away. I learned this the hard way many years back, when I took my contacts straight out after I woke up from accidentally sleeping in them, and my eyes would not stop streaming.

I went straight to my optician who told me that if you fall asleep in your contacts, then you need to wait a few hours before taking them out, to allow new tears to form in your eyes while you are awake, which moistens the lense before you try and take it out of your eye. If you try and take lenses out as soon as you wake up - then your eyes are too dry from being asleep and it will massively hurt your eyes.

I never deliberately go to sleep in lenses but if I accidentally fall asleep in them, I follow this advice of waiting a couple of hours before removing them, and I haven't had a problem since.

[Delicious5]

You'll be okay. I wear contacts while I take naps just don't wear them when you go to sleep at night. I used to fall asleep with them on because I was too lazy to get up & take them out. Until one time I woke up & one of them almost went to the back of my eye. My eye was super red.

[MissNowhere]

Wow that's scary O_O

[birdy1]

Nothing bad usually happens, I mean I guess they could get lost or break in your eyes but I've done it before by accident and they've been fine, just a little dryer when I wake up. Just make sure not to do it everytime you sleep, you will be more prone to infections and such.

[dartmaul15]

using it regularly, and on such a short trip you'll wake up just fine
Then you blink and realize they're dry as hell. It's no danger, but it feels REALLY strange, and you easily loose them. Just blink and get them mosturized well, and it should be ok.

Sleeping with them overnight is generally not a huge risk, but you shoud go the day after without contacts, and remove the contacts asap. So even if it's not really that dangerous, it's not a good idea.

The horror stories about cutting the oxygen flow happens because of using them for days, often combined with bad hygiene.

[dangerDoge]

Well I remember pulling some all nighters last year studying for math with my friend. He decided to take a nap (he wears contacts) around 4am to 5am.

When he woke up, he had completely bloodshot eyes and they looked like they hurt... But he even had drops to help out his eyes.

Short answer, probably not a good idea. (But then again, I guess your bus ride is probably already over? 😅)

[MissNowhere]

Yes it's over. Didn't fall asleep. xD

[dangerDoge]

Noice. Must've been a fun and exhausting field trip though lol

[BertMacklinFBI]

I heard that it might hurt you after a while.

[MissNowhere]

fuck ;(

[R3d_Anonymous]

This is why you should consider having a spare pair of glasses. I am actually looking to get contacts soon because I don't like how I look in glasses, but I am always going to have my current pair of glasses and keep a spare pair for situations like yours.

That sucks though. Perhaps if you really don't want to sleep, keep yourself awake from using your phone and going on GAG. Maybe visit some controversial content that gets you all worked up... if I do that, I have trouble sleeping (I only got like 3 hours last night just because of that :( ).

[Yumix]

if it's just once and for not too long it's okay. your eyes might hurt but nothing you can't fix with some help...

shockshed.com/.../...a-Mobie-Taking-out-an-Eye.gif

[Yumix]

hmm maybe that gif is a little bit too much lol

[MissNowhere]

ewwwwww

[Yumix]

sry 😅

[THE_Godfather]

I wear RGP (hard lenses) you are to never sleep with them in.
I take hour long naps all the time in a chair & never had a problem. The only minor trouble is sometimes getting them out. My eyes get dry. I just put a drop of soaking solution in my eyes & that seems to work.

[pinkbubble]

Your eyes requires oxygen always.
and the lenses block oxygen to your eyes.
so if you sleep with lenses your eyes start to make new blood vessles to get oxygen.
and then you will live with seeing ur vessels in ur sight forever for the rest of ur life ^^/

[valgov291]

for a couple hours you shouldn't be too bad. I've slept all night with them in. when i woke up they were hard and a little painful to get off. I thought about leaving them in but everything is blurry when you seep with them in for long periods of time.

[TripleAce]

Yes its bad... very bad

Even ones that are overnights ones are not recommended by optometrist... you will eventually develop astigmatism or dry eyes.. those are common... other problems can be worse like glaucoma - which can lead to blindess later in life, worst case scenario

[TripleAce]

Astigmatism is most common because the contact will pull on your eyes changing the shape.. light then won't pass uniformally into your eye creating a need for special contacts or special lens for glasses

Sometimes its ok... just dont do it often i guess

[soccerchick4eva]

okay so i have disposable contacts and i always sleep in them and only take them off like on weekends or on some random nights, they never seem to hurt me, but if you keep doing it, my optometrist said that once you get older it isn't good for your eyes, but if you're just doing like for one day you should be all good :) haha

[Levin]

I thought it was a length of time thing too. Maybe an hour or so won't be a bad thing, if you have your eye-drops?

[MissNowhere]

I do not.

[Levin]

Assuming you aren't already asleep, soundly on the bus, your head bobbing up and down with the natural rhythms on the bus window, and everyone staring at you thinking you're kind of a cute, surly teenager, then, *don't* heed my advice.

www.buzzfeed.com/.../heres-why-you-should-really-stop-sleeping-in-your-contacts

“Sleeping in your contacts is a problem because the contact lens is made up of plastic and it impairs the oxygen flow to your cornea,” he says. The cornea is the outer clear covering of the eye, and it’s about as thick as a credit card. It has no blood flow, so it relies on the oxygen in the air. When you have a contact lens covering your eyeball for an extended period of time, that impedes the oxygen flow. (And when you have your contact lens + your closed eyelid all night… that impedes oxygen even more). And then this happens: “It alters the physiology of the eye,” Steinemann says.

[Curmudgeon]

it is generally a bad idea. On the bus for 2 hours napping you might get away with it, but certainly not overnight.

[MissNowhere]

well I defo wouldn't do it overnight.

[Hopefuldreamer8]

I've done it a couple times. It's not a habit you want to get into but it won't be bad if it happens once and a while. Your eyes will be dry at first so it's best to have eye drops on you. Don't try and take them out right away either.

[allahu_snackbar]

I wouldn't risk impairing the oxygen flow to my cornea like dat.

[MissNowhere]

ok. :(

[guy532]

It's fine, I used to be super paranoid about my contacts, but it's fine. I've slept with once a day contacts and have even had them on for weeks with no problems.

[guy532]

I think it depends on the contacts as well, funny enough the once a day contacts give more leeway since they are much thinner and therefore allow the eye to "breathe" better

[springocelot]

sleeping in with them on time would be no big deal
however, making it a habit could give you an eye infection :/
just make sure you take them off once you get home

[Tabbie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G3l_6vfpXc

... yeah it's quite bad x_x

[COCOCHANEL]

i've never heard it's bad.
i once left mine in for 3 days by accident.

[COCOCHANEL]

for a nap i mean. longer is bad.

[Ashely_Princess]

I think I got the lenses where you can sleep in because I sleep in mine and nothing ever happens to my eyes. Although, I do take them out when I want to shower. But if it isn't lenses that are like that, then I done messed up already :/

[Ihav2fart]

Really bad, your eyes need oxygen..
I've read stories where peoples eyes got infected. :x

[MissNowhere]

Fuck, not doing it then.

[Ihav2fart]

TAKE IT OFF, ALL OFF! ;p

[Anonymous]

Skip to 5:04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmb1RZAZE-M

He went blind in one eye due to leaving his contacts in when sleeping. Not a first world problem :)

[mskay]

I've slept with lens on while taking naps.. for three times already. Thank the stars nothing happened, cause my naps were real long hours.. 🙊

[mskay]

But I'd say don't do it, unless you have your eye drops with you currently.