The manufacturers’ guidelines for contact lenses are created specifically for each brand and type of lens. Properly cleaned lenses can prevent eye infections and mineral deposits on them. If you wear lenses for longer periods than recommended by your eye care professionaleye irritation (e.g., ophthalmologist or optometrist), you risk , scratches on your cornea (the front surface of your eyeball), or infections from unclean or unsterilized lenses.

If you have already slept in your soft disposable contact lenses for one night, however, the chance is high that your eyes will be fine, though perhaps a bit tired or sore. You may want to give your eyes a break and wear eyeglasses instead for a day.

So, is it dangerous to sleep for one night in your contact lenses if you can’t get them out? It’s not dangerous. It’s just better — healthier — to sleep (eye) naked.

Do not sleep with your contact lenses in your eyes unless you are prescribed “Extended Wear” contacts! While the eyes are shut, tears cannot carry healthy amounts of oxygen to the eye, like during the waking hours. In turn, this brings abnormal tissue growth into the area, which becomes scar tissue. This makes the front surface of the eye less healthy. As a result, your contact lenses will become dry and stick to your eyes. Even more frightening is that sleeping in your contact lenses increases your risk of developing a vision-threatening infection by about 600X! If you accidentally do fall asleep with your contact lenses in, be sure to put eye drops in your eyes and wait a few minutes before trying to remove your contact lenses.

But unfortunately there are no “contact lens” you can sleep in that will be safe to the health of your eye. However there are hybrid lens that just got on the market. The cost for them run about $1500-$3000 per lens. Depending on how severe your astigmatism is as well as your Rx and they only last approximately a year. Lasik surgery is much cheaper however if you elect laser eye surgery you are not guaranteed  – 20/20 vision. Lasik surgery will change the shape of your cornea making it very difficult to ever get fitted with contacts again. But most of Lasik providers offer a one-year guarantee. If your vision isn’t up to your standards (not even necessarily 20/20), then they will do and enhancement for free.

Sleep with contact lenses will irritate your eyes (by drying them out) if you leave them in. Is only possible if the lenses is approved for use even at sleeping time. Else don’t ever wear lenses to sleep. But it recommends to use eye drops with the approved lenses after waking up to clear the blurriness due to dryness.

In fact, there are several options for those with astigmatism who want to sleep in contact lenses.

1. Toric soft contact lenses for astigmatism, which come in either disposable or non-disposable materials and designs.
2. Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, offer more oxygen than soft lenses and can compensate for most astigmatisms, including very large amounts.

The FDA has approved a number of contact lenses for up to six days of continuous wear and one brand of toric extended wear contact lenses for up to 30 days of continuous wear. I recommend rinsing your eyes with saline before going to sleep and upon waking, to get rid of the debris and bacteria that can accumulate on and under your lenses. This helps prevent problems. It is very important to work with a skilled eye care practitioner when wearing extended wear contact lenses — there is more risk when you sleep in lenses. However, done properly, it is great to be able to wake up and see. Just remember… you will be seeing your wife very clearly first thing in the morning… are you sure you really want to? Just kidding, honey… ouch!… ouch!”

said Dr. Dubow

So just don’t wear contact lenses and sleep. Short periods are fine but long periods right, you may turn out and have eyes fully red!