What Are the Dangers of Reusing Daily Contact Lenses?

• Contact lenses instead of glasses Dougal Waters/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  Contact lenses are popular because of their practicality and convenience. Contacts are especially suitable for people who play sports. Where glasses are inappropriate and get in the way, contacts are a lot more practical and suitable. Contacts are less affected by rainy weather and won't steam up. Daily contact lenses should be discarded at the end of the day before going to sleep. These are different from extended wear contact lenses, which can be worn when sleeping.

Conjunctivitis

• When daily contact lenses are used again and again there can be a big risk of contracting conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is the inflammation of the conjunctiva, the inner surface of the eyelids. The eyes can become red and watery, and a nasty discharge can be produced. If the lenses are being used again and again, bacteria may grow, which can lead to this infection.

Corneal Neovascularization

• Daily contact lenses are not made to be cleaned. If daily contact lenses are re-used, you are putting unclean lenses into contact with your eye every day. This can cause corneal neovascularization, which is when there is excessive growth of the blood vessels in the cornea. This is caused by lack of oxygen in the eye, and is very common in users of contact lenses. In the very worst cases, eyesight can be threatened. This is why it is important to have regular checkups at the optician's.

Precautions

• Contact lense users may get eye infections because of the risk of bacteria from hands when inserting the lense. If using daily contacts again and again, you will increase the risk of infection because the lens may tear or start to degrade. The lense may also change in shape and will not be comfortable to wear and will irritate the eye.