Should I sleep in Air Optix Aqua lenses?

AJRTx702 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-21-2010, 05:23 PM

For years I have worn the Cooper Vision Encore Premium lenses. They were 30 days lenses that I had to take out every night and clean.
A month ago I got the Air Optix Aquas and I have a few questions.
Can I sleep in these contacts for a few nights in a row then take them out every so often to clean them? Or are these the types of lenses that you must take out every single night?

Another thing, I have been hearing about the Night and Day lenses.. What do youguys think about these? I'm really getting tired of taking out and puttingin my lenses so much. Especially in the morning.. my eyes hurt very badly when putting in my contacts in the morning.

Any help

Knotlob · #2 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJRTx702

For years I have worn the Cooper Vision Encore Premium lenses. They were 30 days lenses that I had to take out every night and clean.
A month ago I got the Air Optix Aquas and I have a few questions.
Can I sleep in these contacts for a few nights in a row then take them out every so often to clean them? Or are these the types of lenses that you must take out every single night?

Another thing, I have been hearing about the Night and Day lenses.. What do you guys think about these? I'm really getting tired of taking out and putting in my lenses so much. Especially in the morning.. my eyes hurt very badly when putting in my contacts in the morning.

Any help

Hello AJRTx702 and welcome to the forum.

I strongly suggest that you do NOT sleep in any contact lenses, even if the manufacturers claim they are extended wear 7 days of 28 days.

If you wear contact lenses continuously, you increase the risk of corneal infections/corneal ulcers and these can lead to blindness, requiring a corneal transplant. The more you wear the lenses the more at risk you are but the risk is at least 5 times higher than not sleeping in them. if you also smoke, this risks rises dramatically. You just don't want to go there!

Read some of the posts by Doctor G here who has some very strong views on this matter.

Also read Johnson & Johnson's patient care guide:

http://www.acuvue.co.uk/sites/default/files/content/pdf/1424_AAH_PIG-outer-HI.pdf

In case you cannot read pdf files or just can't be bothered to look up the reference, I have copied and pasted the relevant section here:
----------------------------------------------------
Warnings - what you should know about
contact lens wear
It is essential that you follow your Eye Care Professional’s
directions for the proper use and care of contact lenses and
lens care products, including the lens case. Problems with
contact lenses or lens care products could result in serious
injury to the eye.
On rare occasions, eye problems including corneal ulcers have
developed which may lead to loss of vision. The results of a
study (1) indicate the following:
The overall annual incidence of ulcerative keratitis (corneal
ulcer) in those who wear contact lenses for daily wear is
estimated to be about 4.1 in 10,000 and about 20.9 in 10,000
for those who use them for extended wear.
The risk of ulcerative keratitis is 4 to 5 times greater for
extended wear contact lens users than for daily wear users.
When daily wear users who wear their lenses overnight and
extended wear users who wear their lenses on a daily wear
basis are excluded from the comparison, the risk among
extended wear users is 10 to 15 times greater.
The risk among extended wear lens users increases with the
number of consecutive days that lenses are worn between
removals, beginning with the first overnight use.

The risk of ulcerative keratitis among contact lens wearers
who smoke is estimated to be 3 to 8 times greater than for
non-smokers.
The overall risk of ulcerative keratitis may be reduced by
carefully following directions for good hygiene and lens care,
including cleaning the lens case.

(1) New England Journal of Medicine, September 21,1989

-----------------------

There may be good and exceptional medical reasons why an eye doctor will prescribe overnight wear with contact lenses, but the convenience of not taking out and cleaning the lenses is NOT one of the reasons.

If your lenses are painful when you put them in in the morning, are your eyes red and how long does the discomfort last? Maybe you need to change the lens solution, although there are reports that some people have an adverse reaction to a wetting agent included in the Air Optic lenses.

knotlob

LittleElvis · #3 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Hello AJRTx702 and welcome to the forum.

I strongly suggest that you do NOT sleep in any contact lenses, even if the manufacturers claim they are extended wear 7 days of 28 days.

If you wear contact lenses continuously, you increase the risk of corneal infections/corneal ulcers and these can lead to blindness, requiring a corneal transplant. The more you wear the lenses the more at risk you are but the risk is at least 5 times higher than not sleeping in them. if you also smoke, this risks rises dramatically. You just don't want to go there!

Read some of the posts by Doctor G here who has some very strong views on this matter.

Also read Johnson & Johnson's patient care guide:

http://www.acuvue.co.uk/sites/default/files/content/pdf/1424_AAH_PIG-outer-HI.pdf

In case you cannot read pdf files or just can't be bothered to look up the reference . . .

knotlob

"Can't be bothered"? Knotlob, is that your idea of a cheerful bedside manner? Some welcome.

I'm sorry about that AJRTx702.

Allow me to give you a proper welcome to Lens 101. Knotlob isn't usually like this. If you scan this forum even for a few minutes, you will see that he has been extremely helpful here.

Lens.com has this to say about Air Optix Aqua: "Air Optix Aqua lenses are recommended for daily wear or up to six nights of extended wear, as determined by your eye care professional for the optical correction of vision in persons with healthy eyes." - http://www.lens.com/contact-lenses/lens554.asp

Knotlob makes a very good case for not sleeping in your contact lenses ever, no matter what kind they are. In my opinion, your own eye doctor knows best. If he or she says you can wear them for seven days and six nights, then that's what you should do. Then when you go for your check-up, you can get your eyes examined to see if there's any damage.

Knotlob · #4 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleElvis

"Can't be bothered"? Knotlob, is that your idea of a cheerful bedside manner? Some welcome.

I only quoted 'can't be bothered' because that is what some of out Lens101 forum members have actually said in the past. Some don't want to go to the trouble of following a link and reading through the actual information and want a one sentence synopsis given to them on a plate - such is the Internet age.

Many others don't have Adobe Acrobat PDF File Reader (free) installed on their computer, though it should be an easy task for them to do, provided it isn't a work computer with Administrative Privileges withheld.

I of course hope AJRTx702 is sufficiently motivated to check out the original sources and it was not intended as an insult to AJRTx702.

As regards your eye doctor knows best. That depends!! I have given my side of this story before - not all Eye Care Practitioners seem to keep up to date with the latest academic studies published in their professional journals. They may glean information from Contact Lens Manufacturer's representatives, but then this is hardly impartial, as they have their own (Sales) agendas. I have seen some less than satisfactory Eye Care Professionals in my own experience, so I prefer to take responsibility for my own eye health.

Here is the link to one of Doctor G's posts on this subject:

http://www.lens101.com/o2-optix/90763-confirmed-02-optix-air-optix-aqua.html#post141760
Post #53 by Doctor G restates the risks of extended wear contact lenses.

knotlob

HelpMeRhonda · #5 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

I only quoted 'can't be bothered' because that is what some of out Lens101 forum members have actually said in the past. Some don't want to go to the trouble of following a link and reading through the actual information and want a one sentence synopsis given to them on a plate - such is the Internet age.

Many others don't have Adobe Acrobat PDF File Reader (free) installed on their computer, though it should be an easy task for them to do, provided it isn't a work computer with Administrative Privileges withheld.

I of course hope AJRTx702 is sufficiently motivated to check out the original sources and it was not intended as an insult to AJRTx702.

As regards your eye doctor knows best. That depends!! I have given my side of this story before - not all Eye Care Practitioners seem to keep up to date with the latest academic studies published in their professional journals. They may glean information from Contact Lens Manufacturer's representatives, but then this is hardly impartial, as they have their own (Sales) agendas. I have seen some less than satisfactory eye care professionals in my own experience, so I prefer to take responsibility for my own eye health.

Here is the link to one of Doctor G's posts on this subject:

http://www.lens101.com/o2-optix/90763-confirmed-02-optix-air-optix-aqua.html#post141760
Post #53 by Doctor G restates the risks of extended wear contact lenses.

knotlob

Thanks for clarifying, knotlob. I know what you mean about people wanting "a one sentence synopsis given to them on a plate," but I guess that's the nature of the beast these days. Besides, you're very good at simplifying these eye care principles for anyone to understand. Some of those PDF files can get pretty heavy.

As for eye doctors, no, they're not all up on all the latest finds in ophthalmology, but neither is your average Lens 101 member. Not that they're stupid, it's just that very few of them are professionals. And--as it's been said on this forum before--even the top eye care specialist in the world is at a disadvantage if he or she can't actually examine someone's eyes for themselves.
I'd like to see Lens 101 members post pictures of their retinas for doctors to examine on line. "Does this look infected to you?"

Knotlob · #6 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

And--as it's been said on this forum before--even the top eye care specialist in the world is at a disadvantage if he or she can't actually examine someone's eyes for themselves.
I'd like to see Lens 101 members post pictures of their retinas for doctors to examine on line. "Does this look infected to you?"

Maybe these should be in an X Rated horror section!!

knotlob

321contacts · #7 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

Maybe these should be in an X Rated horror section!!

knotlob

I bet it would be very popular.

I know I've looked for pictures to post here on Lens 101, and rejected a few as being too graphic. There's just something about sick and injured eyes that just grosses people out.

Knotlob · #8 (**permalink**) 07-22-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 321contacts

I bet it would be very popular.

I know I've looked for pictures to post here on Lens 101, and rejected a few as being too graphic. There's just something about sick and injured eyes that just grosses people out.

I've seen a few nasty ones where flying debris or caustic chemicals have penetrated the eye. We used to see them as part of Health & Safety indoctrination into wearing personal eye protection. Still, better to wear the protection - it's usually too late afterwards to wish you had

knotlob

LittleElvis · #9 (**permalink**) 07-23-2010, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

I've seen a few nasty ones where flying debris or caustic chemicals have penetrated the eye. We used to see them as part of Health & Safety indoctrination into wearing personal eye protection. Still, better to wear the protection - it's usually too late afterwards to wish you had

knotlob

I hope this doesn't turn into to a thread that sounds like Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest on Saturday Night Live when they trade horror stories about painful accidents.

"Eh, my shoulder hurts. You know - you know that narrow hallway in the boiler room? The one with the, uh--?"
"Exposed bolts comin' out o' the wall?"
"Yeah. Well, every time I walk past it, the bolts dig right into my shoulder. I-- It's very painful."
"Boy. You wanna talk about some pain?"

I'll stop there. I goes south immediately after that. Something about linoleum knives.

HelpMeRhonda · #10 (**permalink**) 09-03-2010, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 321contacts

I bet it would be very popular.

I know I've looked for pictures to post here on Lens 101, and rejected a few as being too graphic. There's just something about sick and injured eyes that just grosses people out.

I know what you mean, 321 contacts. I was doing a bit of research and they showed someone wearing these special contact lenses that covered their entire eye, even the white part. The results was eyes that looked like they had a white film over them, which essentially they did have. Kinda creepy.
I guess it's because when you look at someone, you can avoid looking at their elbow or shoulder blade, but it's hard not to look at their eyes. I know a girl who's really nice and kinda cute, but she's got a lazy eye and it's hard to look at her sometimes.

321contacts · #11 (**permalink**) 09-07-2010, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

I know what you mean, 321 contacts. I was doing a bit of research and they showed someone wearing these special contact lenses that covered their entire eye, even the white part. The results was eyes that looked like they had a white film over them, which essentially they did have. Kinda creepy.
I guess it's because when you look at someone, you can avoid looking at their elbow or shoulder blade, but it's hard not to look at their eyes. I know a girl who's really nice and kinda cute, but she's got a lazy eye and it's hard to look at her sometimes.

Yeah, so many times you have a scary moment in a movie, but it's not until you see . . . the person's . . .

EYES!

Shreeeeeeeeeiiik!!!

HelpMeRhonda · #12 (**permalink**) 09-22-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 321contacts

Yeah, so many times you have a scary moment in a movie, but it's not until you see . . . the person's . . .

EYES!

Shreeeeeeeeeiiik!!!

Scary Doll Eyes. It's a classic.

HelpMeRhonda · #13 (**permalink**) 11-03-2010, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonusb

contact lens solutions that should not be use

What contact lens solutions that should not be use?

Knotlob · #14 (**permalink**) 11-03-2010, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

What contact lens solutions that should not be use?

jonusb is a spammer and has posted a load of drivel here to make up the post count. I have reported this member to the Admins.

knotlob

RawBob · #15 (**permalink**) 11-04-2010, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knotlob

jonusb is a spammer and has posted a load of drivel here to make up the post count. I have reported this member to the Admins.

knotlob

Don't know why people waste their time posting drivel. If you're going to post something on a forum like this, you might as well make a statement, like "Join the Revolution!" or "Save Ferris."

Hypnoteyes · #16 (**permalink**) 01-14-2011, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonusb2

Eze contact lens tool allows you to insert and rem

I saw the same half of a posting in another thread.

RawBob · #17 (**permalink**) 01-24-2011, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypnoteyes

I saw the same half of a posting in another thread.

What do you think of my "save Ferris" idea?

HelpMeRhonda · #18 (**permalink**) 02-10-2011, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawBob

What do you think of my "save Ferris" idea?

I think you should go with it, RawBob. Get crazy. I'll even start you off.

Yvan eht nioj, everybody.

LittleElvis · #19 (**permalink**) 02-21-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

What contact lens solutions that should not be use?

Is there a such thing as a contact lens solution that should not be used? I mean, they're all good for something, right?

prospect5 · #20 (**permalink**) 02-28-2011, 01:47 PM

Greetings forum. I have been wearing AIR OPTIX for over a year and often sleep in them for 10 nights on the trot.

I had my annual eye examination and told my eye Dr. He checked my eyes and told me that I seem to have a high tolerance to wearing them without regular removal. I had no signs of lack of air to the eye damage.

I have worn the same pair for 40 days with no problems, in fact I find that taking them out causes me most of my lense problems.

VAB · #21 (**permalink**) 02-28-2011, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prospect5

Greetings forum. I have been wearing AIR OPTIX for over a year and often sleep in them for 10 nights on the trot.

I had my annual eye examination and told my eye Dr. He checked my eyes and told me that I seem to have a high tolerance to wearing them without regular removal. I had no signs of lack of air to the eye damage.

I have worn the same pair for 40 days with no problems, in fact I find that taking them out causes me most of my lense problems.

Air Optix Aqua lenses are designed to be changed once a month. However as they say in the auto industry, your mileage may very. Some people may not be able to wear them that long, while others, like you, prospect5, can wear them longer. It's just like most people can drink milk just fine, but some people get really sick from drinking milk. Just follow your doctor's instructions and if there's a problem at least you can tell him or her that you've been following instructions. It's a little embarrassing when she asks "Have you been doing what I told you" and you can't look her in the eye because you know you haven't been doing what she told you.

prospect5 · #22 (**permalink**) 03-01-2011, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAB

It's a little embarrassing when she asks "Have you been doing what I told you" and you can't look her in the eye because you know you haven't been doing what she told you.

I can look her in the eye if I have my lenses in.

Superschwin · #23 (**permalink**) 03-01-2011, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prospect5

I can look her in the eye if I have my lenses in.

Hopefully if you've been misbehaving your bloodshot eyes won't give you away.

On the other hand, if you're not caring for your lenses properly, maybe your eyes should give you away.

prospect5 · #24 (**permalink**) 03-01-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superschwin

Hopefully if you've been misbehaving your bloodshot eyes won't give you away.

On the other hand, if you're not caring for your lenses properly, maybe your eyes should give you away.

So far so good, I've never had any trouble extending the use of the lenses. I do get bloodshot eyes if I have trouble getting them out! If I leave them alone and use drops before bed, in the morning and midday no probs. Only other problem I have is cats! They make my eyes itch and go red. I take the lenses out and wash them in the palm of my hand with cleaning solution, rubbing in the solution with my finger. About every 10 days I take them out and put them in their container with solution for the night.

Sevateem1 · #25 (**permalink**) 03-01-2011, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prospect5

I take the lenses out and wash them in the palm of my hand with cleaning solution, rubbing in the solution with my finger. About every 10 days I take them out and put them in their container with solution for the night.

Is this a cleaning schedule that was given to you from your eye care professional? I'm all for taking care of contacts, but I'm a bit concerned with all the "freelancing" that's going on where people just decide for themselves randomly when (and if) to clean their contacts. I hope you're following the advice of a professional, prospect5.

prospect5 · #26 (**permalink**) 03-02-2011, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sevateem1

Is this a cleaning schedule that was given to you from your eye care professional? I'm all for taking care of contacts, but I'm a bit concerned with all the "freelancing" that's going on where people just decide for themselves randomly when (and if) to clean their contacts. I hope you're following the advice of a professional, prospect5.

I take your point sevateem, I got the info re palm washing from one of the manufacturers websites, cant remember which one, probably Johnson & Johnston. Seems to work OK. Re advice from professionals, I've found it can vary depending on who you speak to and we're all different. I don't think you can do the one size fits all approach. Some people are just more sensitive to having a foreign body in their eye than others and some people are more susceptible to infections etc than others.

If you examine your eyes in a magnifying mirror daily, listen to your body and take sensible cleanliness precautions you will probably be OK.

Type40 · #27 (**permalink**) 03-02-2011, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prospect5

Re: advice from professionals, I've found it can vary depending on who you speak to and we're all different. I don't think you can do the one size fits all approach. Some people are just more sensitive to having a foreign body in their eye than others and some people are more susceptible to infections etc than others.

If you examine your eyes in a magnifying mirror daily, listen to your body and take sensible cleanliness precautions you will probably be OK.

I agree with you that people are different. Just because they're called "monthly" contact lenses doesn't mean that everyone should wear them for exactly 30 days. Some people can't wear them that long, and others can wear them a bit longer.

It's probably a good idea to ask your eye doctor about symptoms to look for that tell you that you've worn your contacts long enough. I wouldn't advise pushing them to see how long you can wear them, though. If an emergency comes up and you have to wear them for 31 or 32 days, it would be good to know when you really had to take them out.

prospect5 · #28 (**permalink**) 03-02-2011, 11:14 AM

[quote=Type40;170211]It's probably a good idea to ask your eye doctor about symptoms to look for that tell you that you've worn your contacts long enough.QUOTE]

Good point, my optician told me he can tell if the pupil is suffering from oxygen starvation by looking at the eye, apparently blood vessels indicate the eye trying to supply the pupil if it is being starved. Some folks just don't suffer this deficiency.

Beckifera · #29 (**permalink**) 03-02-2011, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prospect5

Good point, my optician told me he can tell if the pupil is suffering from oxygen starvation by looking at the eye, apparently blood vessels indicate the eye trying to supply the pupil if it is being starved. Some folks just don't suffer this deficiency.

I don't know if you eye doctor named this phenomenon, but it sounds to me like neovascularization.
I don't want to nitpick, but I think you meant "cornea" when you said "pupil." The pupil is the black hole in the middle of your eye where the light comes in. I don't know how an opening can suffer from oxygen starvation, but maybe you're right.

LittleElvis · #30 (**permalink**) 03-21-2011, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beckifera

I don't know if you eye doctor named this phenomenon, but it sounds to me like neovascularization.
I don't want to nitpick, but I think you meant "cornea" when you said "pupil." The pupil is the black hole in the middle of your eye where the light comes in. I don't know how an opening can suffer from oxygen starvation, but maybe you're right.

You're right, Beckifera. They call this condition "corneal neovascularization." I'm pretty sure that there's no such thing as "pupillary neovascularization."

RawBob · #31 (**permalink**) 04-01-2011, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJRTx702

For years I have worn the Cooper Vision Encore Premium lenses. They were 30 days lenses that I had to take out every night and clean.
A month ago I got the Air Optix Aquas and I have a few questions.
Can I sleep in these contacts for a few nights in a row then take them out every so often to clean them? Or are these the types of lenses that you must take out every single night?

Another thing, I have been hearing about the Night and Day lenses.. What do youguys think about these? I'm really getting tired of taking out and puttingin my lenses so much. Especially in the morning.. my eyes hurt very badly when putting in my contacts in the morning.

Any help

We haven't heard back from you since you posted this AJRT. Have you found this information to be helpful?

Why do I expect that you'll respond to this when you haven't responded to anything else so far?

I guess I'm just an eternal optimist.

I guess that's better than being an eternal optometrist.

VAB · #32 (**permalink**) 04-04-2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawBob

We haven't heard back from you since you posted this AJRT. Have you found this information to be helpful?

Why do I expect that you'll respond to this when you haven't responded to anything else so far?

I guess I'm just an eternal optimist.

I guess that's better than being an eternal optometrist.

"Eternal optometrist." Good joke man.

JTKirk · #33 (**permalink**) 09-30-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAB

"Eternal optometrist." Good joke man.

Yeah, all RawBob needed was a rim shot. Ba-dum-bum!

Beckifera · #34 (**permalink**) 11-07-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RawBob

We haven't heard back from you since you posted this AJRT. Have you found this information to be helpful?

Why do I expect that you'll respond to this when you haven't responded to anything else so far?

I guess I'm just an eternal optimist.

I guess that's better than being an eternal optometrist.

Yeah, that dude looks like he's been around a while . . .