One million people are estimated by the CDC to visit outpatient emergency departments every year due to keratitis based on their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report created in collaboration with the emergency department based surveillance network EMERGEncy ID net.
One of the reports describes a man having to receive treatment for bacterial and fungal keratitis who was suffering with eye redness and blurred vision, who had reported sleeping with his contacts in up to 4 nights a week and also swimming with them in.
Another patient described in one of the reports was an adolescent girl who had reported sleeping with her lenses still in that she had purchased without a prescription, which resulted in a corneal ulcer that caused scarring.
The reports also describe a man who eventually needed to have a transplant to save his eye who reported wearing the same contact lenses for over a 2 week period which resulted in a perforated cornea and bacterial infection.
Keeping contact lenses in while sleeping can be risky leading to infections and in some cases permanent damage; falling to sleep or even napping without removing them can significantly increase likelihood of serious health problems says Dr. Jon Femling.
