Wearing contact lenses overnight should be discouraged. Improvements in materials and hygiene have not reduced the risk People shouldn't rely on advances in contact-lens technology to protect them from developing infections, said Dr. Eugene C. Pogio, an ophthalmologist and executive director of Abt Associates, an eye research institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Better contact-lens materials and better solutions to care for the lenses have not decreased the number of infections. Extended-wear lenses reduce the cornea's ability to protect itself from bacteria and other agents that can cause infections, he said. So preventing infection means wearing contact lenses less frequently and for shorter periods of time.
Doctors treat minor corneal infections with antibiotic eye drops.
For more severe cases, doctors prescribe more intensive antibiotic or antifungal treatments to eliminate the infection, according to the National Eye Institute. Some patients may require steroid eye drops, which help to reduce inflammation caused by the infection. Depending on the severity of the case, the infection can take months to treat. Inc. All rights reserved. Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.