How long do biweekly contacts last

Wearing contacts longer than they should be worn is one of the riskiest behaviors for wearers, but how long is too long? This depends on what type of lens your doctor prescribed for you. Most soft contact lenses fall into one of three categories: daily, biweekly, and monthly disposable.

Wear times are determined by the manufacturer and as such, your contact lens box is the best place to understand your specific wear time. No need to carry around a huge bottle of solution everywhere you go.

At the end of the day, you can rest easy, knowing you have a fresh pair of contacts waiting for you in the morning. Bi-weekly lenses offer a unique set of benefits for people seeking longer life from their contacts but still crave that new lenses feeling. Monthly lenses are the one of oldest modalities of contact lenses and are some of the most popular. They are especially helpful for those looking to spend less on their contacts each year. You should replace your old lenses with a new pair according to how long they were designed and approved to last.

Over time, this reduces the amount of oxygen that gets through to your eyes. This can make them more prone to infections, blood vessel growth into the eye, and chronic inflammation and redness that can lead to vision loss and contact lens intolerance. Most people can safely and comfortably wear contact lenses for 14 to 16 hours per day. Monthly Disposable Contact Lenses These lenses usually last about 30 days before they are discarded for a new pair. They do have to be taken out every night to be cleaned and stored in sterile solution.

Bi-Weekly Disposable Contact Lenses Like monthly disposables, these contacts must be taken out nightly, cleaned and stored. Instead of lasting for 30 days, these specific lenses only last 14 days. Never wear bi-weekly contact lenses for longer than recommended—you could be putting your eyes and vision at risk! Furthermore, wearing contact lenses comfortably was nearly impossible for patients with allergies.

Lens disinfection systems do a good job of making sure the lenses have no bacterial growth, but even the best system does not eliminate all the microscopic debris that can cause contact lens wear to be uncomfortable. When disposable contact lenses came onto the market, the rate of complications for wearers dropped significantly. Wearing contact lenses became much easier and more comfortable. Today, millions of people comfortably wear contact lenses every day instead of glasses.

However, if two-week disposables are worn much over the recommended wearing time, the transmission of oxygen through the contact lens to the eye drops to unhealthy levels.

Also, in simple terms, you are defeating the purpose of wearing a lens you can dispose of every two weeks. Instead, you should ask your optometrist to fit you with a lens that is designed to be worn longer. Contact lens manufacturers developed new methods to produce lenses in greater volume at a lower cost.

Because lens prices were lower, patients could afford to replace their lenses more often. Healthcare provider discovered that when the lens is disposed of in a more timely manner, serious complications become fewer and fewer. Daily disposables, contact lenses that are disposed of every day, are fast becoming the lens of choice for healthcare providers and patients around the world. They require no cleaning, eliminating a step that some wearers may not be diligent in doing.

Daily disposables also seem to be a much better choice for patients with dry eyes or ocular allergies. Plus, it represents the best in hygiene.

In many countries, most patients wear daily disposable lenses. In the United States, more and more patients are wearing this type of lens. Millions of dollars go into research and development of contact lenses. Many lens types are available for people who need astigmatism correction. The expiration date on soft contact lenses is typically about four years from the date of manufacture. After that time, the seal on the package can degrade, potentially exposing the sterile lens to contamination. If you wear contact lenses, you may need contact lens solution to rinse, clean and disinfect your lenses.

However, if you have sensitive eyes, you may want to buy FDA-approved saline solution to rinse the lenses before putting them in your eyes. Daily disposable lenses should not be cleaned or disinfected. If you wear other types of soft contact lenses, or gas permeable contact lenses , you may need an FDA-approved multi-purpose solution for rinsing, disinfection and storage.

You may also use an enzymatic cleaner to remove buildup. The only safe way to store contact lenses is in a contact case fully covered by fresh contact lens disinfecting solution. You should never store contact lenses in water neither bottled, distilled nor tap , homemade saline solution, saline nasal spray, eye drops or any other liquid not expressly intended for disinfecting and storing contact lenses.