How long can i REALLY wear a pair of 2-month contacts for before they go bad?!

How long can i REALLY wear a pair of 2-month contacts for before they go bad?

i've heard some people tell me they wear them for half a month. is it ok to wear the contacts longer than they say on the box?

This question and some of the first answers strike a chord in me that gets me mildly upset. It is true that wearing soiled contact lenses for excessively long periods will put you at risk for various eye irritations. If lenses are very, very dirty they can put you at risk for eye infections. A little history lesson is needed here.

Three factors caused the development of the frequent replacement contact lenses.

First, a significant number of contact lens wearers just did NOT clean their lenses appropriately which allowed for irritations and infections to continue, though not increase, in significant numbers. For people who were compliant in their cleaning there were few, if any, problems.

Second, a few years ago the contact lens market went very flat. With improved contact lens care solutions, people were able to hold on to their lenses longer, and, thus, people were replacing their lenses LESS often.

Third, the manufacturing process for contact lenses became more efficient with improved precision. Now the manufacturers had to find a way to move these lenses that they could produce cheaply and in large numbers.

THE ANSWER: Planned or frequent replacement of contact lenses was promoted by two of the major contact lens manufacturers. If the producers could convince the eye doctors and opticians that their patients would have healthier eyes by replacing their lenses more often, then the lenses would move more quickly. Even though there were no reputable, independent studies that supported the claim for "improve health" with frequent replacement, many doctors bought the marketing ploy. So, planned-replacement lenses became planned revenue. Much of the data since then has been generated by manufacturer-sponsored "studies" - and I use the work study loosely.

Some frequent replacement lenses are made of materials that, for years, were made, bottled, sold, and worn for 9 to 18 months by many wearers. How should I convince a person with a healthy eye and a pristine contact lens that is over one year old, that I will make their eyes even better, if they buy more lenses and replace them more often?

How long should you wear YOUR lenses? Lens durability varies from patient to patient and among certain lens materials. Durability will usually be determined by the number of deposits that develop on your lenses. In a way it's like tire wear on your car. Once you have established a successful history of about one year of contact lens wear, under normal conditions with daily removal, good cleaning and average tears you can get from 3-to-6 plus months of wear from one lens. Remember, most people were able to wear their contact lenses for 12 months without ANY problems when lenses were sold individually. There are a small minority of people who must replace their lenses every 2 weeks and others who can successfully wear their lenses for 8 months. If you notice that the lenses are starting dry out, or that your vision starts to become hazy earlier each day, then it's time to replace the lens.

Clean and disinfect your lenses, and hold on to them as long as you feel they are comfortable and providing good clear vision. DO NOT let anyone SCARE you into thinking that you are putting yourself at greater risk for eye infections by not following a knee-jerk replacement schedule. The data to support such claims just do not exist. Most eye doctors will resist giving you a customized, extended replacement schedule simply because the box is labeled a certain way, or that's the way they have always done it. This holds even if your eyes and your lenses are in perfect condition when you wear the lenses beyond the labeled time period. Your replacement schedule should be tailored to you, not to your contact lens.

I really had to laugh at the dirty underwear answer above. Apparently the ophthalmologist only wears his underwear one time and then throws it away. Must be nice to be that rich.

As an aside, I have a learned, respected colleague who lectures internationally to other eye doctors. Contact lens manufacturers threatened to remove him from their investigations of new materials if he continued to lecture on the individual variability of contact lens wearing schedules. There's money at stake.

Have your eyes examined regularly so that the eye health can be determined.

I hope this puts your mind at ease.