Extended wear contacts allow more oxygen to pass through the lens but require more frequent office visits and follow-up care.

Extended wear contacts are soft or RGP (rigid gas permeable) contacts that can be worn overnight for up to seven days and with some lenses up to thirty days. The primary feature of extended wear contacts is that they allow more oxygen to pass through the lens to reach your cornea. Most people prefer the convenience of extended wear contacts, but there are additional risks, that you should be aware of, with extended wear contact lenses.

More frequent office visits, to your eye professional, and followup care are required for extended wear contacts due to the fact that protein deposits and bacteria can build up on these types of contacts leading to complications such as eye infections. For this reason, many eye care professionals do not recommend extended wear contact lenses.

In the US, The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved some extended wear contacts to be worn for up to seven days, in addition to one brand of extended wear contact lenses being approved for 30 day wear. You must contact your eye care professional for a prescription and can discuss which, if any of these types of extended wear contact lenses may be right for you.

Another option available with extended wear contacts is to wear them on a daily basis, with only occasional extended and overnight wear (occasional weekend or business trips, etc.).

Silicon Hydrogel Lenses have been said to be the safest extended wear contacts to date. These lenses provide much more oxygen (reportedly 6 times more oxygen) to pass through the lens to the cornea. While the risks of extended wear contact lenses still exist, these contacts have show lower levels of complications than with other contact lens technologies.

Above all, consult with your eye care professional and use common sense and good judgement as your guide. For example, if you experience sore or irritated eyes, remove your contact lenses and give your eyes a break. If appropriate, replace with a fresh pair of lenses or consult with your eyecare professional as needed.

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Any and all materials provided on this web site are for information purposes only. Have your eyes examined regularly and always follow your eye care professional's instructions for the proper use and care of your contact lenses.