A man in his late thirties noticed that his left eye was slightly irritated while he was working late. His initial thought is that it was due to an allergy.
Groeschen said when he woke up the following day, he noticed that his eye was “sort of goopy” while his vision was blurry.
The following day, his vision had become worse.
He decided to make an appointment at the Cincinnati Eye Institute where staff there informed him that he had an infection caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas in his eye. A disease which is capable of “incubating” below contact lenses.
Antibiotics were prescribed which got rid of the infection; but scar tissue left behind from the bacteria caused blindness in one eye.
“It is the same as seeing through a piece of glass that is opaque. Your cornea becomes somewhat eroded as a result of the illness “Groeschen added. “The scar tissue that forms as a result of the infection will make it difficult for you to see as the infection clears up.”
His specialist informed him that in order to restore his vision he would require a cornea transplant and the recovery time for this would take twelve months.
Groeschens employer stated that he is currently falling behind on all of his job tasks and as a result of his eye.
Apparently the contacts that he slept in are meant to be safe to wear while sleeping according to the instructions.
In 2013, he American Academy of Ophthalmology issued a warning stating that “overnight wear, regardless of contact lens type, increases the incidence of corneal infection.”
The physician who cared for Groeschen, Dr. William Faulkner, advised it is not a good idea to wear contact lenses while sleeping.
According to Faulkner, “Security is the major concern for the eyes, and if contacts are worn overnight, it is something that I would not advocate.” The daily-wear disposable contact lenses are by far the safest option for anyone who wears glasses or contacts.
A survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that ninety nine percent of those who used contact lenses reported at least one “risky behavior,” which included the following:
Storing their contact lens covers for an extended period of time beyond what is advised (82,3 percent);
“Topping off” the solution in the case means adding fresh solution to the existing solution rather than completely emptying the case before adding new solution, which accounts for 55.1 percent of all cases;
While they were asleep, they wore their glasses (50.2 percent).
