Should I wear contact lenses at night?

Wearing contact lenses at night is a non-surgical refractive error treatment that is being applied more and more widely today. Night contact lenses have the ability to correct the curvature of the corneal surface of the eye, reducing the degree of nearsightedness, helping people with myopia have good vision for all normal activities during the day.

1. What are contact lenses at night?

To correct the refractive error of the eye, there are many methods applied such as wearing eyeglasses, placing contact lenses and surgery. Wearing framed glasses is a common method but has many limitations such as being disadvantaged when playing sports, blurred glasses when walking in the rain,. With Lasik surgery method, patients are only performed when has reached the age of 18. Therefore, people with nearsightedness who are not old enough for surgery or are bothered by traditional glasses can choose another treatment method, which is to use night contact lenses.

Night contact lenses (ortho-k lenses) are less than 12mm in diameter and are located on the surface of the cornea, which is the inner part of the eye. Glasses will be placed in the eye immediately before going to bed at night, removed when getting up and in the morning, used as an alternative to other methods of using glasses during the day.

In terms of therapeutic mechanism, night contact lenses are designed specifically for each eye and are capable of correcting daytime vision for people with refractive errors thanks to the natural elastic nature of the cornea. People with refractive errors who wear contact lenses at night, together with the force of the eyelids when sleeping with their eyes closed, will gradually create a slight pattern, changing the curvature of the cornea over a period of time during the day.

Nearsighted people who do not want to use glasses can be replaced by night contact lenses.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of wearing contact lenses at night to correct refractive errors

2.1 Advantages

• Controlling the progression of myopia in particular and refractive errors in general
• People with refractive errors are no longer dependent on glasses or contact lenses during the day and still see clearly. This helps patients not be restricted when doing sports, and at the same time increases the aesthetics;
• Many patients after wearing contact lenses at night have lost their glasses;
• Can be applied to all ages, especially in children with a rapidly progressive degree of refractive error
• Because the effect of correcting the refractive error of the eye is temporary, users can stop wearing glasses whenever they want without worrying about the side effects.

2.2 Cons

• Night contact lenses can only treat nearsightedness, astigmatism, not farsightedness;
• People with allergies or pathologies on the corneal surface such as dry eyes are recommended not to use this treatment method;
• People with work characteristics that have to stay up late or have trouble sleeping should not use this type of glasses because vision will not improve much if they slept little or lost sleep the previous day.

3. Note when using contact lenses at night

• When the patient decides to put on contact lenses at night, a comprehensive examination of parameters such as refractive index, corneal thickness,.;
• Comply with the preservation regime, keep glasses to avoid bacterial and fungal infections;
• Before using glasses, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap, dry your hands, use a specialized glass cleaner so as not to cause eye infections;
• If removed - improperly placed glasses can cause swelling, blurred vision, blurred vision. When experiencing this symptom, the patient needs to stop using the glasses, go back to an eye specialist medical facility;
• People who use contact lenses at night need to get enough sleep, at least 6-8 hours/night to have good vision the next day;
• Replace the glasses on time, do not wear them beyond the shelf life of the glasses;
• Periodic follow-up: 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months after wearing glasses for the first time.

Wearing contact lenses at night is an effective measure to correct refractive errors. When choosing this treatment method, patients need to absolutely follow the doctor's instructions and have regular check-ups to ensure the best treatment effect and avoid the risk of complications.