How often do you leave your soft contact lenses in for just a few days longer than your optometrist instructs? It's a fact of life that things are at their best when they're new. Well, the same idea is also applicable to your contact lenses. As a rule, you shouldn't keep your contacts in for any more time than you need to. Even though it might seem okay, if you want your eyes to see their very best, keep to the replacement routine that your eye care professional decides on. This means that if your optician tells you to replace them monthly, then change them every month, because they can't withstand extended wear.
A lot of people think to themselves, can't I just squeeze a couple more wears out of them? To answer this, let's talk about protein - not the dietary kind, but the natural protein in your eyes that gradually accumulates on the surface of your lenses, forming a mild haze. Foggy vision is just the initial result.
Over time, these proteins change form and make your immune system think the formation is a foreign particle, and this can lead to itchy, swollen and irritated eyes. This leads to a situation where your eyesight suffers. Even when you're thorough about caring for your contacts, as time goes on, they become less smooth and clear, which is the result of normal deterioration.
The best thing to do is commit to the schedule your eye care professional advises for you. Everyone's eyes are unique, so only your optometrist should determine the correct contact lens replacement schedule for you. If you dispose of and replace your contact lenses on schedule, you will never even see the difference that is so apparent when you use them longer than you're supposed to.