Contact Lens Overwear

Persistent discomfort, corneal ulcers, and other sequelae of wearing contact lenses  too long are common causes of emergency visits in our practice.  These days, most LASIK and refractive surgery candidates are not patients trying to get rid of their glasses, but rather patients who can no longer tolerate their contact lenses any longer, due to excessive wearing time. 

This is a very big problem, sometimes resulting from inadequate education from the dispensing eye doctor, but more often from poor judgement on the patient’s part.

Sometimes there is a financial component, with cost-conscious patients unwilling to throw out lenses in a timely fashion, “if they’re still good”.   Remember that the cornea is a pretty hardy organ and will take a lot of abuse before finally breaking down; once your eye doesn’t feel comfortable due to excessive contact lens use, you corneas are essentially screaming at you to stop!

Benjamin H. Ticho, MD