 |
| photo source: theathleticscholarship.blogspot.com |
I know there are many articles out there which claim you can and should... but that is not true. I was always tempted to try using my dailies for more than one day, so I did some research and asked around... after learning about the consequences and risks, I decided that reusing lenses is definitely not an option ... AT ALL! ... Here I want to share with you my findings and hope you will also decide not to put your eyes are risk.
Here are a few reasons why:
- material is too thin (easy to break/tear)
- a part of the lenses will literally dissolve if you put it in cleaning solution
- not designed to be used for more than 1 day
- cleaning solution cannot clean the lenses (this is due to the material of the lenses)
 |
| photo credits: www.barrhavenoptometric.com |
What happens...
If you over wear them (wearing them more than one time) there is a chance that it will stick to your Cornea, you will need professional help to get them out.
(There are even claims that it is best not to wear Dailies for more than 8 hours)
During this process (even with professional help: e.g. optometrist) your Cornea will likely tear (more accurate term is Corneal Abrasion), it will be painful to see... (I had a friend who had torn her Cornea, she said it was so painful to see), it is NOT worth it at all! It will take approximately 2-3 weeks to grow back. Think about the pain during those 2-3 weeks.
How a Corneal Abrasion (tear in Cornea feels)
- Feeling like you have sand or grit in your eye
- Eye pain, especially when opening or closing your eye
- Tearing and redness
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred vision or loss of vision
(source: WebMD)
Also think about if bacteria got in, you are at risk of an eye infection on top of a torn Cornea. I wouldn't let you in on the details, you can imagine how that would be like.
 |
| photo source: www.dailytech.com |
Soaking in Solution will not help
You may say, well, I can wash dailies (contact lenses) with solutions and store them in solutions... that sounds logical right? WRONG! The reason why Daily Contact Lenses are so much more comfortable and a bit pricier than bi-weeklies, monthlies, etc is because they are made out of a different material and are much thinner.
Solutions you use on bi-weeklies, monthlies, etc will not only damage the lenses (removing the protection coating from the lenses) but even if you claim you are gentle enough, they cannot even clean the lenses (the comparison I would like to think of is using a white board eraser to wipe off chalk from a chalkboard... if you tried it, you know it doesn't work).
Verdict:
I know it is extremely tempting and many articles and bloggers claim it is less expensive and it is possible, but you are putting your eyes and sight at risk... is it really worth it?
After:
Alas, please read this article, I think everyone who wears Contact Lenses should read this article! I had questions (and I was afraid to ask) and this article does a great job covering most FAQs which are important to know and a little embarrassing to ask:
--> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/26/contact-lens-hygiene-questions-answers-eye-health_n_3950593.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)
Omg I have seen pictures of the cornea tear apart before. It looks gross and HORRIFYING!!!!! I would never want to wear my contact lenses over 8 hours or rewear the same ones again if they are only suppose to be worn for a day. It's like not like they are fake eyelashes that you glue on top of your eyes...they are lens that you wear INSIDE your eyes. It's good to save on money to reuse them again but think about the price you have to pay if you ever lost your vision.....
ReplyDeleteOMG... I haven't seen pictures of Cornea tears before... (too scared to look at them). totally agree with you! the risk is too big...!
Deletewow... I didn't know you couldn't reuse daily contacts, my friends do that all the time
ReplyDeleteyeah... you can't >.<... tell them not to reuse their daily contacts
DeleteI have heard that you cannot reuse daily contact lenses. I use contact lenses that need to be changed monthly. I have always heard that daily contacts are really comfortable. It is opening a fresh pair of contacts every time. When I change my contacts I love the new feeling that it has. It is a great feeling to be able to see without worrying about your contact getting blurry. http://www.eyesociety.com.au/services
ReplyDeleteHi Riley, thanks for your comment! I agreer with you... I love that feeling of new contact lenses... they always feel so hydrating :)
Deleteand wait till something happens to your eyes... then you will regret.
ReplyDeleteThis helped. Thanks! When you can't write an article or help people then just shut up.
ReplyDeletei guess i'll have to reconsider my reusing of daily contact lenses...thanks for sharing this
ReplyDeletethanks for dropping by :)
DeleteI wouldn't use a daily for more than 3 or 4 days in a pinch but this "article" is all kinds of wrong. They won't dissolve in a cleaning solution and they are NOT made of a different material. In fact there have been some famous lawsuits where some major companies had to admit they were all basically the same product and material. Now the dailies may indeed be thinner for comfort and may not survive much handling but that's it. The rest of this piece reads like it came from a company with product to sell. In fact: (from Wikipedia)
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, a careful analysis of the materials used to manufacture many 'daily' disposable lenses show that they are often manufactured from the same material (e.g. silicone-hydrogel [senofilcon-A]) as the longer life disposables (monthly replacement for example), from the same company. The lenses often differ only in terms of diameter or base curve.
If you DO re-use disposables on occasion make sure to disinfect them in the evening to prevent any infection risk.
thanks for your comment.
DeleteI would like to clarify a few things:
1. I did not do my research on wikipedia
2. The contact lenses does dissolve, but not the whole lenses, more like the outer coating.
3. I do not agree with you regarding materials. I am checking my contact lenses: my dailies are made from materials like : etafilcon A and Nelficon A; while my bi-weeklies are made from senofilcon A (both types are from Acuvue and Freshlook). Even when you "feel" and "touch" them with your fingers and eyes they feel different. (biweeklies are thicker and stretchier while dailies are much thinner and easier to rip. They clearly have used different materials for each one of the lenses.)
Since they use different materials, I would recommend that you follow the instructions provided by the contact lenses companies since they are there for a reason.
thanks for the info Ms. Stephanie Ng! I like these sort of articles, they are so informative
Delete@Anonymous: this isn't an article, it is a blogpost... and you claim "there have been some famous lawsuits where some major companies had to admit they were all basically the same product and material" which companies? I have never heard of those lawsuits... which companies? we need facts!
Can you please tell us where did you get this info?
DeleteContact layer dissolving into cornea after repeated use is interesting news to me. I reuse dailies sometimes and if your info is true the companies should have warned us about the risk, but I can't find it elsewhere.
thanks for your comment! Actually... I think you might have misread... I meant "the protective layer of the contact lenses dissolves into the solution... so once you don't have that protective layer, it can damage your cornea due to uneven surface.
DeleteI will try to find my references for you (as it has been more than a year since I have written this post).
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe lawsuit you're looking is the one involving johnson&johnson. Also newsflash, ALL monthlies tend to be made out of different things, and some of those materials are the same as your dailies. Just because the ones YOU chose are different to each other does not mean one material is not suitable for cleansing and reusing.
DeleteI'm beginning to wonder where you actually did your research as you sound like you know absolutely nothing about what you're talking about
Oh and also the reason they feel different is because one is thinner than the other. That is IT, ones built to last one isn't. Dailies only have to last 8-12 hours therefore they can be thinner than contacts made to last you an entire 30-31days. The ONLY thing to worry about with reusing dailies is that there are no tears in them and that you clean them properly for reuse
Deletethis is speaking from personal experience... I used to reuse my dailies and I started noticing that on the 2nd day and onwards the contact lenses is slightly stretched and the fitting is odd. I have sensitive eyes and can confirm that that it is bad for you... when I reuse my dailies they start to feel less moist and easily dries.
Deletethe damages with the material isn't visible and obvious... so tears are already beyond fixing.
johnson and johnson paid her to write this nonsense
ReplyDeleteno, I wasn't paid or sponsored by anyone to write this... these are just facts I gathered after doing research.
DeleteHope this clarifies any issues you have.
can you do more posts like these?
ReplyDeleteI will try to :)
Deletefinally found the answer I was looking for
ReplyDeleteTerrific information! Terrible grammar though :(
ReplyDeleteI see you are bi-lingual and English is not your first language. Apologies. Actually, now I am impressed by you and embarrassed for myself, lol.
DeleteThere is no difference between daily disposable lenses and weekly or monthly lenses. The information you are giving is from sites with a vested interest in selling more lenses. Here is an expose from the UK Daily Mail:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-357082/Contact-lens-firms-ripping-off.html
Johnson and Johnson was sued over misrepresenting this information and has paid out a large settlement. Here is a quote from the article:
"The company admitted to the Daily Mail that there is no medical reason why the daily lenses could not be reused and worn as long as the other brands, provided they were disinfected in the same way"
Please don't spread wrong information. Thanks.
I wonder if you even use contact lenses or have used dailies and compared them to bi-weekly or monthly lenses? I doubt, because if you have, you will notice just how much thinner the material is.... in addition, if you look and feel the material made for each contact lenses, you will notice they are different... . The bi weeklies have a much more slippery and smooth feel and finish to them while the dailies are more rigid. You will also notice just how fragile the dailies are. That is why people with sensitive eyes prefer dailies because they are thinner and more comfortable to wear.
DeleteI thank you for providing the link to the source but please notice that the article you are quoting was written 10 years ago. Please quote more up to date sources or even... buy the contact lenses and try them yourself. You don't need an article to tell how different they are.
Everyone's eyes are precious, they help us observe the world around us. Please do your research before giving incorrect information.
Thanks.
thank you for the info!
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to the haters... they suck!
thanks for your support :)
DeleteI had a debate with a friend and used your article as proof! keep up spreading information!
ReplyDeletehaha awesome! :D
DeleteIm in a bit of a pinch. My next eye exam is in 8 days, and i only have my older perscription of lenses to use, since i have ran out of the daily lenses i have for my left eye. I have frequently reused my dailys for this purpose because im incredibly forgetful, and always forget to make my exam earlier so i have enough contacts to last. I would get glasses but my dad wont let me for monetary reasons. So, am I better off wearing an older perscription, wearing only one contact that i have my perscription for, or just not at all? (But im very nearsighted so that last one would cause a lot of problems..)
ReplyDeleteI had the same dilemma as you... an optometrist friend told me that unless the prescription for the lenses for your left eye is less than your right eye, you should not wear the dailies on your right eye. (e.g. if your right eye is -2.00 and your left eye is -1.75, it is ok to wear them... but if it were reversed, then you shouldn't risk it cause it can cause headaches).
DeleteIt is ok to wear an older prescription for a short term.
I saw this buzzfeed video and thought of your post: https://youtu.be/bEnle1cEitk
ReplyDeletethanks :)
DeleteThe lawsuits were back in 2001.
ReplyDeleteThings (and materials for the contact lenses) have changed since then. It's your EYES, people.
Wrong. Same stuff, just different thickness.
ReplyDeleteanother blog being paid to discourage people from reusing contacts so the contact companies don’t lose money... LOL alot of people fall for this crap. It’s the internet.. don’t believe everything you read. daily contacts are the same dame thing as the regular contacts. the contact companies were being sued because of it. look it up idiots. sterilizing the dailies the same way as you would sterilize and clean regular contacts and you’re good to go.. SAVE lots of money on contacts :) don’t be fooled into believing this article. There is no research to prove it just Drs and contact companies not wanting to lose money so they lie and tell you what ever to scare you into not doing it so they don’t lose money.
ReplyDeletesorry to disappoint you, I wasn't paid.
DeleteWell you failed twice then.
DeleteEnthusiastic words written in this blog helped me to enhance my skills as well as helped me to know how I can help myself on my own. I am really glad to come at this platform.
ReplyDeleteคอนแทคเลนส์สายตา
I gained new knowledge from well written content of this blog. It is showing some different kind of strategy to keep work better and improve with every new assignment. Gracefully written blog
ReplyDeleteผลิตภัณฑ์บำรุงสมอง
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to start my own BlogEngine blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings rapidly. Your write up is a fine example of it.
ReplyDeleteพรีเซนเทชั่น
Wow! This is the perfect blog I am looking this type of blog its awesome blog here , share great information about this topic. This informative blog helps many readers with their decision-making regarding the situation. Great articles and will look forward for more!
ReplyDeleteพิมพ์กล่องกระดาษ
Please delete the comment because it has a link to my website.
DeleteWow! This is the perfect blog I am looking this type of blog its awesome blog here , share great information about this topic. This informative blog helps many readers with their decision-making regarding the situation. Great articles and will look forward for more!
ReplyDeleteส่วนลด Air Asia
It is really a helpful blog to find some different source to add my knowledge. I came into aware of new professional blog and I am impressed with suggestions of author.
ReplyDeleteDell PowerEdge T330
You made such an interesting piece to read, giving every subject enlightenment for us to gain knowledge. Thanks for sharing the such information with us to read this... prescription contact lenses
ReplyDeleteAwsome post
ReplyDeletevisit us
contact lenses fitting service in Surrey and Delta