What restricts the contact wearer to two weeks? If I clean them every night, what is there to worry about? I just can’t figure out why the timeframe is important.
(Not that it’s a huge deal - I have a 3 month supply in my room, and I only wear them 3 or 4 days a week. )
I thought that the marketing pitch with the 2 week “extended wear” contacts was that you could wear them 24 hrs a day for up to 2 weeks and then toss them, as opposed to the “daily wear” lenses that you had to take out and soak every night.
I used to make measuring equipment for sift contact lenses. They’re all made in basically the same way. It’s possible that they use a slightly different mix for the extended wear lenses than for the dailies, but trying to get even basic information from these guys – even if you’re working with them – is like pulling teeth. They’re a closed-mouthed bunch.
I do know that a couple of years ago one of the companies got dinged for simply putting “Daily Wear” lenses in an “EXtended Wear” box and jacking up the price for what was, in essence, the same product. Presumably they’re not doing that anymore, and there really is a difference.
The USDA is what’s restricted them to two weeks. Last I looked, soft contacts are regarded more as a drug than a lens, probably because of how they interact with your eyes.
Beyond mere government doctrine, the ultra-thin lenses just can’t cope with much physical treatment - taking them in and out is hard on them, plus the rubbing of being cleaned, etc. It’s a trade-off. Do you want durable lenses that can be taken in and out repeatedly, or do you want ultra-thin, comfortable lenses that can be kept in for a week or two at a time. (When I last wore contacts, the recommendation was to wear for six days, take out for a day, clean/disinfect, wear for six days, then discard.)
Attempting to wear them for too long at a time or beyond their lifespan (I’ve seen photos of “2-week” lenses that had been worn for a month, and the edge was ragged and worn away) is foolish and can lead to discomfort and infections.
As for creative labeling, I’d heard it the other way, some 15-20 years back - a particular company was putting extended-wear non-disposables into the daily-wear vials - and I’d been told that despite the labeling, it would be safe to use these as 6-day lenses as there was no difference in the material. Not sure there’d be any false advertising issues there. IIRC, it was towards the end of daily-wear lenses’ popularity as the market shited to extended-wear.
Oops, make that the US FDA - Food and Drug Administration, and that they’re considered as medical devices - in the same category as pacemakers and breast implants, rather than drugs.
No, FTR, these aren’t the ones you leave in for 2 weeks. They’re the ones that you take out every night and clean. I have an astigmatism that’s bad enough in one eye that the eye doctors have to special order me contacts, so I don’t know if such a thing is even available for me. I don’t know if I’d want them, though, since I like how I look in my glasses. MMMV.
I’ve been wondering about this too. I, also, wear the 2-week contacts that you take out nightly, however, sometimes I push it out to a month, or even 2, with minimal discomfort, if any.
Is there any hard in doing this?
Yes, righto, there can be. Though not guaranteed. I used to wear the daily ones. But being flighty, careless and lazy at the time (read: young) I’d wear them for up to a week at a time. I even swam with them in. There were days I had to literally peel them out because the proteins ( I assume) were so built up they became glued to my eyes.
At the next eye exam I had some ulcers beginning on the corneas because of it. I was lucky and caught it in time. It all healed up with no permanant damage. Later I switched to extended wear and was able to wear them for a few days at a time, but nowhere near the 2 weeks or 30 days (depending on the type) advertised. I suspect dehydration from the heavy drinking I did, but I’ve never been able to wear contacts for more than a week at a time without some discomfort.
I suspect contacts are regulated by the FDA for the same reason drugs are. One size doesn’t fit all when dealing with your body.
(I’ve rambled so much I forgot the original question) 
I wear toric, “two-week” soft disposables. I take them out every night, and store them in cleaning/disinfectant solution. I rinse them w/ saline every morning before putting them in. I use no-rub solutions so I rarely if ever have to rub them. As long as they are clear (no resistant protein spots remaining after cleaning and rinsing), I continue to wear them. I keep the storage cases as clean as possible. Using this method i can typically wear a pair for at least a month, sometimes as long as 2 months before I discard them for a new pair.
YMMV, of course.
Nope. This is what I had in mind:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=207583
Personal story FYI: I have had a very bad astigmatism all my life. Recently (three years back) I found they had finally made soft contacts for me. Used to be it was only rigid gas permeable. (shudder).
As for the 2-week thing, I’ve noticed if I forget and wear them longer, they do get uncomfortable. The edges are not so fine, and they’re a little rough on the eye, and they hurt. I can go over by maybe a week, but not more.
Besides, these are my eyes. You only get one pair! And they are my most valued sense. I listen to my MD.