I Accidentally Slept With My Contacts In: What to Do Next

Remove the lenses without forcing them

Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them completely before handling the lens. Remove the lens if it comes out easily. Do not pull hard on a lens that feels stuck.

If the lens feels dry or attached, blink several times to restore tears. You can use saline or eye drops approved for contact-lens use to help hydrate the eye, then blink again. Remove the lens only after it no longer feels stuck. Forcing it could damage the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye.

A stuck contact lens needs time to loosen rather than more pressure. Blinking can help restore tears and separate the lens from the cornea. If removal is difficult, use saline or eye drops approved for contact-lens use, then wait until the lens moves normally before trying again.

Do not forcibly remove a lens that remains stuck, because you could damage the cornea. If you cannot remove it without pulling, stop trying and contact an eye-care professional.

After removal, store the lenses for a day or so and use glasses if you need vision correction. This gives your eyes time to return to baseline while you watch for infection symptoms.

Do not put the contacts back in until an eye doctor has assessed your eyes and advised when it is safe to wear them again. Glasses can provide correction during that period.

Understand why sleeping in contacts raises risk

Sleeping in contact lenses can reduce the oxygen reaching the cornea because standard soft lenses can block oxygen flow during prolonged or overnight wear. Low oxygen at the cornea is called hypoxia. It can contribute to burning, irritation, blurred vision, and corneal swelling.

The cornea has no blood vessels and receives oxygen directly from the air. A contact lens worn for an extended period can reduce this oxygen supply and trigger mild inflammation or surface damage. Extended contact-lens wear can cause contamination, reduce oxygen flow, and damage the clear surface layer that helps protect the eye from infection.

A contact lens can also trap germs against the cornea and allow them to grow. Small breaks in the corneal surface can give those germs an entry point. Keratitis means inflammation of the cornea; it may occur with or without infection, and infectious keratitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.

Sleeping in contact lenses increases the risk of contact-lens-related eye infections six- to eightfold among contact lens wearers. This includes accidental or occasional overnight wear and prescribed extended-wear schedules. The figure describes a change in risk across contact lens wearers; it does not tell you whether your eye is infected.

When contact lenses are worn and cared for properly, they are described as a safe and effective form of vision correction. An estimated 45 million Americans use them. That estimate measures contact lens use, not the number of people who develop an infection.

A United States report recorded 1,075 reports of contact-lens-related corneal infections in the FDA’s MedWatch database over an 11-year period. That count measures reports received by the database, not every infection that occurred.

Approximately one third of contact lens wearers report sleeping or napping in their lenses. This figure describes reported sleeping behavior, not whether a particular eye is infected. Sleeping in contact lenses is one of the riskiest and most commonly reported behaviors that increases infection risk among adolescent and adult contact lens wearers.
The same report estimated 1 million outpatient and emergency department visits for keratitis of all types in the United States in 2010. Keratitis in that estimate includes different causes and is not limited to sleeping in contact lenses. Contact lenses are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as medical devices, and contact-lens-related corneal infections should be reported to FDA as adverse events.

Even one night of sleeping with contact lenses can cause irritated eyes and other symptoms, and can cause a serious infection. Contact-lens-related infections affecting the cornea are called microbial keratitis and can lead to serious health problems. These figures answer different questions: the report count covers database reports, the visit estimate covers all types of keratitis, and the percentage describes reported sleeping behavior. None of these figures determines whether your eye is infected.

Know which symptoms can follow overnight wear

Contact lens overwear may cause redness, eye pain, blurred vision, dry eyes, and other discomforts. Reduced oxygen at the cornea can add burning, irritation, blurred vision, and swelling.

After sleeping in contacts, the lenses may feel dry or stuck because your eyes make fewer tears during sleep. The surface of the eye can also become irritated while the lens remains in place. These effects may occur without an infection.

Keratitis from contact lens overwear can be noninfectious or infectious. Mild irritation often improves after you remove the lenses, but pain, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, or discharge should be evaluated by an eye doctor instead of watched at home.

New or worsening symptoms need more attention than simple dryness. If symptoms become stronger, add a vision change, or include discharge, use the prompt eye-care guidance in the dedicated section below.

Track whether symptoms are improving

Mild symptoms after lens removal should begin to ease within one to two hours. Redness and discomfort should start to decrease, burning should fade, and light sensitivity should become more manageable. If symptoms are stable or improving, home rest without contacts is appropriate.

Use these time points as a guide for mild cases:

• Within 1 to 2 hours: Redness, discomfort, and burning should begin to settle. Symptoms that intensify rather than settle need attention.
• At 4 to 8 hours: Redness should show marked improvement, and light sensitivity should become manageable. Moderate pain that persists or vision that does not clear needs attention.
• At 24 hours: Mild cases should have near-normal comfort. Moderate cases may still be improving, but pain, discharge, or significant light sensitivity needs attention.
  Symptoms that continue beyond this point warrant optometrist review.

A recovery timeline applies to mild cases that are steadily settling after lens removal. Contact an optometrist rather than waiting until the following day if pain increases or vision does not improve.

Stable symptoms can be watched while you remain out of contacts. Symptoms that worsen after removal, especially increasing pain or a failure of vision to clear, need prompt eye-care review.

Avoid more irritation while your eyes recover

Contact lens care reduces another exposure while your eyes recover. Follow these steps:

• Do not sleep in lenses unless your eye-care provider directs you to do so.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them completely before handling lenses.
• Do not shower, swim, use a hot tub, or let water get in your eyes while wearing contacts.
• Follow the wearing and replacement schedule from your eye doctor.
• Follow the cleaning and storage directions from your doctor, lens manufacturer, and solution manufacturer.

Keep a backup pair of glasses available in case you need to remove your contacts unexpectedly.

Water and contact lenses should not mix. If water touches your lenses, remove them as soon as possible. Throw them away, or clean and disinfect them overnight before wearing them again.

Replace your contact lens case at least once every three months. Do not add fresh solution to old solution in the case. If lenses have been stored for 30 days or longer, do not wear them without re-disinfecting them according to the instructions. Rub and rinse contacts in disinfecting solution each time you remove them. Rinse the case with contact lens solution, dry it with a clean tissue, and store it upside down with caps off.

Know when prompt eye care is needed

Prompt eye care is needed after lens removal if you have any of these symptoms:

• Very red, painful, or watery eyes
• Moderate or severe eye pain
• Increased or intense sensitivity to light
• Blurred or reduced vision, or any change in vision
• Intense redness or symptoms that worsen instead of improve
• Discharge, especially significant yellow or green discharge
• A white or cloudy spot on the colored part of the eye or on the cornea
• Symptoms that do not improve within a few hours after removing the lenses

Remove the lenses and call an eye doctor right away for these symptoms. Seek same-day or emergency eye care for severe pain, marked light sensitivity, reduced vision, a white spot on the cornea, or copious discharge.

A corneal ulcer is an open sore on the cornea. Sleeping in contact lenses can lead to corneal ulcers, which can cause severe pain and vision problems. A corneal ulcer requires immediate medical attention because delayed treatment can cause permanent cornea scarring.

Do not wait for a mild-case timeline if severe pain, reduced vision, a white spot, marked light sensitivity, or heavy discharge is present. Those findings need same-day or emergency eye care.

An eye-care professional evaluates more than your glasses or contact-lens prescription. The examination may use specialized tools to examine the eye surface. Bring the removed lenses to help with the diagnosis.

Treatment depends on what the examination shows. It may include stopping contact lens use and switching to glasses, soothing prescription eye drops, reducing wearing time, a topical steroid, or correcting storage and cleaning problems. Serious cases may require topical antibiotics, corticosteroid eye drops, or surgery.

Clinical treatment also depends on the size and location of a corneal finding. For a focal, peripheral infiltrate less than 1.5 mm without epithelial disturbance, a clinician may use antibiotics or antibiotic-steroid drops and stop contact lens wear. In very mild cases, observation alone may be appropriate.

When a large epithelial defect, meaning a break in the surface layer, is present with an inflamed eye, steroid treatment follows 24 to 48 hours after epithelialization has occurred. These decisions belong to the examining clinician, not to home treatment.

Take the next step if symptoms are not settling

Mild symptoms that steadily improve after lens removal can be watched while you remain out of contacts. Increasing pain, vision changes, light sensitivity, discharge, worsening redness, or symptoms that persist beyond the expected recovery window call for qualified eye care instead of continued waiting.

A qualified eye-care professional should decide your individual evaluation and treatment. Northwest Eye in Minnetonka is a place to seek an eye exam when symptoms are concerning, worsening, or persistent.

What if I am unsure whether my symptoms need an exam?

How long should symptoms last after accidentally sleeping in contact lenses?

Mild symptoms should begin to ease within one to two hours after lens removal. Redness, burning, and discomfort should steadily improve. Increasing pain, vision that does not clear, discharge, or symptoms continuing beyond that period warrant prompt evaluation by an eye-care professional.

What should I do if a contact lens feels stuck after sleeping in it?

Do not pull hard or forcibly remove a stuck lens. Wash and dry your hands, blink several times, and use saline or eye drops approved for contact-lens use to hydrate the eye. Try removal only after the lens moves normally. If it remains stuck, stop trying and contact an eye-care professional.

When should I get urgent help after sleeping in contacts?

Seek prompt eye care for eye pain, worsening redness, light sensitivity, discharge, blurred or reduced vision, or any change in vision after removing the lenses. Same-day or emergency care is needed for severe pain, marked light sensitivity, a white or cloudy spot, reduced vision, or heavy yellow or green discharge.

What happens during an eye exam for contact-lens irritation?

An eye-care professional examines the eye surface with specialized tools rather than checking only your prescription. Bring the removed lenses in their case if possible. Treatment may involve time without contacts, glasses, prescription drops, antibiotics, or other care based on the examination findings and severity of the surface problem.