WASHINGTON — Top U.S. health officials are warning contact lens users to wear their lenses as recommended by doctors to prevent major eye issues.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied 1,075 cases of reported infections from contact lens wear between 2005 and 2015.
The report found that 20 percent of the reported infections led to eye damage. Twenty-five percent of patients reported that they put themselves at a higher risk for infection by sleeping in their contacts or wearing them for longer than the prescribed period.
"Contact lenses are a safe and effective form of vision correction when worn and cared for as recommended," Michael Beach, director of the CDC's Healthy Water Program, said in a news release about the study. "However, improper wear and care of contact lenses can cause eye infections that sometimes lead to serious, long-term damage."
The analysis found several other factors that lead to infections, including wearing expired lenses, storing lenses in tap water, and swimming in lenses.
The consequences of not wearing lenses properly include corneal ulcers, a decrease in visual activity and other eye damage.
"While people who get serious eye infections represent a small percentage of those who wear contacts, they serve as a reminder for all contact lens wearers to take simple steps to prevent infections," said Dr. Jennifer Cope, medical epidemiologist in CDC's Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch.
The CDC reports that 41 million Americans wear contact lenses to correct their vision and nearly all of those surveyed said they have at least one behavior that puts them at a higher risk for infection.
The CDC recommends that users who experience infections to file a report with the FDA so that the agency can identify and understand the risks associated with contact lens wear.