Two-thirds of the 41 million people in the U.S.1 who wear contact lenses to correct their vision are women.2 Ten percent of wearers are under 18 years and 25 percent are older than 45. The remaining majority are between 18 and 45 years old.

Although popular, wearing contacts increases your risk of eye infections, damage to the cornea and alters the microbial biome that exists naturally in your eye. In each case, the results can be either dangerous or disastrous to your sight.

Before understanding the risks, it’s helpful to know how your eye works and how contact lenses may help correct your vision. Children report improvements in perceived attraction when wearing lenses, but unless they care for their eyes and lenses properly, they may be at increased risk of losing their eyesight altogether.

How Your Eye Functions

What you see is not interpreted in your eyes but rather in your brain. Light passes through the front of your eye (cornea) and your lens. These structures help focus the light on the retina at the back of your eye.

The cells in the retina then convert the light to electrochemical impulses making their way over the optic nerve and into your brain. The front of your eye acts like a camera lens, letting more light in at night and less during the day. This is why your pupils are larger at night, to let in more light and allow you to see.

Contact lenses are worn in “contact” with the eye. They are prescription lenses designed to correct vision errors, much like miniature eye glasses. They change where the light is focused on the retina, which improves your eyesight.3

These little lenses move with the eye and float on your tear film over the surface of your cornea. As far back as 1508, Leonardo da Vinci had illustrated the concept of contact lenses. The first lenses were made of glass in 1887.

Through the years they graduated to plastic, soft lenses, disposable lenses, gas permeable and, most recently, custom-manufactured silicone hydrogel lenses.4

Gas permeable (GP) lenses are made of firm plastic, have less water, are less flexible and resist bacteria more than soft lenses. The GP lenses also keep their shape as you blink, maintaining your prescription better than soft lenses.

The Importance of Full Spectrum Light

Your eyes need full spectrum light to stay healthy, just as your body requires sunlight.5 When light enters your eye it not only helps you to see but also goes to your brain’s hypothalamus.

This is the gland in your brain that controls your body temperature, hunger, thirst, water balance and blood pressure.

It also has a significant impact on your pituitary gland that secretes many different essential hormones. For this reason exposure to full-spectrum lighting is an effective therapy for treating depression, infection and more.

According to research by Dr. Martin Mainster and Dr. Patricia Turner at the University of Kansas School of Medicine:6

“Inadequate environmental light and/or ganglion photoreception can cause circadian disruption, increasing the risk of insomnia, depression, numerous systemic disorders and possibly early mortality.

Artificial lighting is dimmer and less blue-weighted than natural daylight, contributing to age-related losses in unconscious circadian photoreception.”

Studies have also demonstrated poor lighting is associated with headaches, stress, fatigue and strained, watery eyes.7 Poor lighting is also associated with poor work production.8

Conversely, companies that have switched to full-spectrum lights report improved employee morale, greater productivity, reduced errors and decreased absenteeism.9

If you choose to use contact lenses it is important to choose lenses that do not filter UV light as they will increase the risk your eyes and brain will not receive enough UV light to maintain your health and wellness.

You will also need to protect your eyes from over exposure to UV light. Read my previous article titled, “Common Myths About Sunglasses That Can Hurt You” for tips about when to wear sunglasses and how to pick a pair that meet your lifestyle and physical needs.

Increased Risk of Infection and Eye Damage With Improper Care


In this five-minute video you’ll discover some of the common mistakes people make when they clean or store their contact lenses. These mistakes can have serious consequences, including infection and damage to your eye sight.

In a recent news broadcast from ABC, Dr. William Faulkner from the Cincinnati Eye Institutes warns that 20,000 people a year develop pseudomonas infections in their eyes.10 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 50 percent of people sleep with their contact lenses on.

Unfortunately, these practices lead to an increased risk of infection in your eye, which may lead to a debilitating infection and loss of eyesight. Left untreated you may even lose your eye.

Faulkner relates that people who sleep in their lenses, even those marketed as overnight contacts, have a 10 times greater risk of developing an eye infection.

Nearly 1 in every 5 persons with eye infections involving contact lenses experience damage to their eye.11 These complications include scarred corneas, corneal transplants and loss of vision.12 As far back as 1996, researchers identified several factors contributing to increased risk of infection and corneal ulcers from sleeping in your contacts, including