How to Stop Reshaping of Cornea From Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are designed to be positioned in a specific location on the surface of the eye called the cornea. If you wear your lenses for too long or in the wrong way, you can cause the cornea to become damaged or misshapen from the lack of oxygen. Take proper care of your eyes and your lenses to stop reshaping your cornea.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask your doctor to make sure your lenses fit properly. The best way to tell if your lenses are positioned correctly is to have your optometrist or ophthalmologist re-exam the lenses on your eyes. Contacts can become loose or tighten up after you've worn them for awhile.

• 2

  Do not wear your lenses for too many hours a day. Each type of contact lens is designed for a maximum number of hours of daily wear, depending on the material and water content of the lens, oxygen transference through the lens and the health of your eye. The maximum amount of hours per day for regular lenses is usually about 12 to 14 hours.

• 3

  Give your eyes a break. If you wear your contacts most of the time, give your eyes a day off from contacts once in awhile. You can take one or two days off a week.

• 4

  Do not sleep in contact lenses that are not meant for overnight wear. Sleeping in daily wear lenses deprives the cornea of too much oxygen and is one of the most common causes of corneal warping and damage.

• 5

  Inspect your contacts often for cracks, tears or rips. It's possible to wear a damaged lens for some time and not even be aware that anything is wrong. If a lens is torn or cracked, there is potential for corneal problems, including swelling, reshaping and infection.

• 6

  Switch the type of contact lens you are wearing. You may be able to change to a style that is less likely to cause cornea reshaping. Hard lenses, also called PMMA, have the least amount of oxygen transfer to the cornea and are prone to causing corneal warping. RGP, or rigid gas permeable lenses, may be a better choice for some PMMA wearers because gas permeable lenses allow more oxygen to your cornea and help stop reshaping.