---
layout: post
title: "Stop Sleeping in Your Contact Lenses (Seriously, It's Actually Dangerous)"
description: "An ophthalmologist reveals why sleeping in contacts is like Russian roulette and what else you're doing wrong with your eyes."
date: 2026-03-01 04:00:25 +0530
author: adam
image: 'https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1764075832552-bd8cd81cc063?q=80&w=1035'
video_embed:
tags: [news, health]
tags_color: '#e91e63'
---
You're probably doing something with your eyes right now that makes ophthalmologists want to scream. Maybe it's sleeping in your contact lenses. Maybe it's showering with them still in. Or maybe you've been rinsing them with tap water like some kind of eye care rebel.
Dr. Amanda Redfern, an ophthalmologist at Oregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute, recently sat down with the hosts of HuffPost's "Am I Doing It Wrong?" podcast to discuss all the ways we're silently damaging our vision. And her message about contact lenses was crystal clear: stop.
## The Russian Roulette of Contact Lenses
"[Sleeping with contact lenses in your eyes] is bad. It's real bad. Don't do it," Redfern said, and she wasn't exaggerating. This warning even extends to naps. You know, those innocent little afternoon snoozes where you think it's not a big deal to keep your lenses in for an hour or two.
The problem is that when you sleep with contacts, you're essentially playing a game where the stakes are your eyesight. Contacts create a barrier between your eye and the oxygen it needs, and they also trap bacteria against your cornea. The result? A corneal ulcer, which is an infection that can become serious faster than you might think.
"It's not going to happen every time, but when it happens, it's terrible," Redfern explained. In the worst cases, you could actually lose your eyeball. Yes, you read that right. But even in less catastrophic scenarios, you might end up with a permanent scar on your cornea. If that scar happens to be in the center of your vision, you could have permanently compromised eyesight unless you get a corneal transplant.
## Water and Contacts Don't Mix
Here's another habit you need to break immediately: wearing your contacts in the shower or swimming pool. This includes showering while wearing them, which most people don't even think twice about.
"The problem with contact lenses is that it will sandwich bacteria between the lens and your cornea, and you can get infected and then have all the complications we talked about," Redfern said. The water, whether it's chlorinated pool water or what you think is clean shower water, contains nonsterile bacteria that has no business being wedged between your lens and your eye.
The same goes for using tap water to rinse or store your contacts. That clear water coming out of your tap? It's not sterile. It's full of microorganisms that might not harm you when you drink it but absolutely will cause problems when you use it as contact lens solution.
When Redfern was posed with a hypothetical vacation scenario where someone forgot their contact lens solution, she refused to endorse either of the "easiest" options: sleeping in the contacts or using tap water to store them. "Both of those are awful options," she said. "I'd rather you [throw the contacts out] and just walk around a little bit blurry for the weekend."
That's how serious this is.
## Eye Protection Exists for a Reason
Beyond contact lens horror stories, Redfern emphasized something surprisingly simple that most people ignore: wearing eye protection when you actually need it. You know, when you're doing house projects that involve hammering, sawing, or anything else where debris could fly into your face.
"I always wear eye protection if I'm doing a house project where I'm hammering, sawing, anything where something can fly at my eye," she said. "Always wear eye protection, because I actually spend half my time seeing hospital consults and the trauma that you see is just crazy."
If you do end up with something lodged in your eye, resist the urge to dig it out yourself. Instead, tape a paper cup over your eye and get to a medical professional immediately. Pulling foreign objects out yourself can cause the inner contents of your eye to come out with it, which is exactly as bad as it sounds.
## The Myths You Can Actually Ignore
It's refreshing to know that some of the stuff we've been worried about doesn't actually matter. Reading in dim light, for example, won't ruin your vision. It might make your eyes tired temporarily, but it's not causing permanent damage. And those floaters you see sometimes? Usually not a big deal either, though sudden changes or large increases warrant a doctor's visit.
The conversation around eye health doesn't need to be complicated. It's mostly just about not doing the obviously risky things and protecting your eyes when there's actual danger. Stop sleeping in your contacts. Don't shower in them. Use proper solution, not tap water. Wear protection when you need it. And if something goes wrong, see a professional instead of playing doctor yourself.
Your eyes handle about 80% of your learning and perception of the world. They contain over 2 million working parts. It seems worth the effort to actually take care of them, doesn't it?
